Asian Cup victor to lead Hanoi FC as coach
Hanoi FC will announce the signing of Japan’s Daiki Iwamasa, who won the 2011 Asian Cup, as the new head coach this weekend.
Iwamasa signed the official contract and made his debut on Saturday after agreeing to the terms and having one more conversation with Hanoi FC. Iwamasa’s contract with Hanoi is set to expire at the conclusion of this season, but if the Japanese coach can lead Hanoi to contention for the National Cup and V. League crowns, it will be extended.
Between January 22 and 29, the club will play three friendly matches against Cong An Ha Noi, Bali United (Indonesia), and Daejeon Hana Citizen (South Korea). Iwamasa will have five weeks to get to know Hanoi during this time. His V. League debut will come against Thanh Hoa FC on the road.
Iwamasa, who was born in 1982, played youth football for Iwakuni High School and Tokyo Gakugei University. He joined Kashima Antlers in 2004 and was a staple until 2013, appearing in 290 games, scoring 35 goals, and winning three J1 League championships in 2007–2008–2009.
In addition, he took home two Emperor’s Cup championships (2010, 2011), two J. League Cup championships (2011, 2012), and two Japanese Super Cup championships (2009, 2010). From 2009 to 2011, he was a member of the Japan national team. He participated in four games for the Japan squad that won the 2011 Asian Cup.
Iwamasa joined Thai team BEC Tero Sasana in 2014. He went back to Japan in 2015 to play for Tokyo United and Fagiano Okayama in the lower level before retiring in 2018. Iwamasa created a name for himself as a coach at Kashima Antlers, as he helped the team place fourth and fifth in the J1 League in 2022 and 2023.
Hanoi allowed coach Dinh The Nam to rejoin as the head of their junior football training center before selecting Iwamasa. The capital team has switched head coaches three times already this season. After suffering two crushing losses to the Pohang Steelers and Urawa Red Diamonds in the AFC Champions League, they fired head coach Bozidar Bandovic in October of last year. Hanoi appointed Nam as interim coach after assistant coach Le Duc Tuan lost two straight games.
In the AFC Champions League, Hanoi defeated Wuhan Three Towns 2-1, fell to Pohang Steelers 2-0, and unexpectedly defeated the reigning champion Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1. All of these results came about because to Nam’s leadership.
Nevertheless, despite placing third with six points, the team was eliminated from the AFC Champions League group stage. Hanoi FC had three wins, one tie, and three losses in the V. League. With 10 points, Hanoi is in eighth place in the 2023–2024 V-League, nine points behind the leading team Nam Dinh.