Why did Da Nang make a last-minute reversal, retaining Coach Le Duc Tuan?

Da Nang Club made a surprising decision by continuing to trust Coach Le Duc Tuan, even though the Han River team had nearly finalized a plan to change leadership midway through the 2025/26 season.

Da Nang retained Coach Le Duc Tuan at the last minute because... of the players

During the training session on April 16, Coach Le Duc Tuan still directly instructed the players, showing he had not been replaced as previously speculated. This decision was made after an internal club meeting, in the context of the team undergoing changes in upper management with Mr. Nguyen Huy Tai taking the role of Chairman and Mr. Adachi holding the position of Technical Director.

Notably, Da Nang had previously contacted and invited Coach Tran Minh Chiến to lead the team. The former Vietnamese national team player even arrived in Da Nang on April 15 to prepare to take over the job, along with plans to add Coach Phan Nhu Thuat to the coaching staff. However, everything unexpectedly "fell apart" at the last minute.

The main reason for this "reversal" is believed to come from within the team. Many Da Nang players expressed their wish to keep Coach Le Duc Tuan, at least until after the crucial match against Nam Dinh in round 19. Support from the locker room caused the leadership to change their perspective, deciding to continue giving the young coach an opportunity during this critical period.

Besides the psychological factor, Da Nang is also seeing positive signs regarding the squad as some injured players have returned to training. This somewhat reinforces the belief that the team can still improve its situation under Coach Le Duc Tuan's guidance.

Currently, Da Nang is at the bottom of the table with 12 points after 18 rounds, but the gap with the group above is not too large. Therefore, the opportunity to avoid relegation still exists if the team makes good use of the final stretch.

For Coach Tran Minh Chiến, being "stood up" at the last minute is clearly an awkward situation, especially since he had come to Da Nang upon invitation. After the club changed its decision and only suggested waiting until after the match against Nam Dinh, he declined to continue negotiations. Similarly, Coach Phan Nhu Thuat also did not accept staying as an assistant.

For now, the upcoming home match against Nam Dinh at Chi Lang Stadium on April 19 is seen as a crucial "test" for the trust that Da Nang's leadership and players have placed in Coach Le Duc Tuan. The outcome of this encounter is likely to directly impact the hot seat at the Han River team for the remainder of the season.