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SCMP Reporter

GERMAN coach Karl Heinz Weigang has been given the pivotal role in helping lift Vietnam's international standard made brittle by 18 years of war and political unrest.

  Weigang, who has been hired as a technical adviser to the Vietnamese Football Association, graduated from the same coaching course as German coach Berti Vogts in 1968.

  With Vietnam's economy booming, the once war-ravaged country want to return to the international fold in a big way by appointing FIFA-sponsored Weigang who takes charge of two Vietnamese national teams - north and south - or District A and District B.

  A VFA official said Weigang would have to fly between Ho Chi Minh in the south and Hanoi in the north frequently during the first phase of his appointment which ends on September 10.

  A Vietnamese official said Vietnam would not compete in October's Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan and would instead concentrate on the 18th Asian Cup in December, 1995.

  Vietnam made their international return in the World Cup qualifying rounds last year where they were grouped with North Korea, Qatar, Indonesia and Singapore.

  Vietnam finished bottom of the group but the VFA association blamed their long absence from the game for their poor showing.

  Weigang, who holds a degree in engineering, gave up his chosen profession after graduating from the coaching course 26 years ago.

  He had a short spell with FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland and spent some time coaching and teaching in Southeast Asia and Africa.

  The 58-year-old German has spent 14 years in Asia travelling from Hanoi to Cambodia and Laos and lived 17 years in Africa.

  He coached the national teams of Mali, Ghana and Cameroon.

  But his main claim to fame was coaching the Cameroon national youth team which then included Oman Biyick, Kana Biyick, Stephen Tataw and David Embe - established stars of the Indomitable Lions' World Cup squad.

  His biggest challenge is about to begin with the Vietnamese national team.

  ''My first job is to observe,'' he said.

  ''This is the first time I have dealt with the Vietnamese players,'' he said.

  Weigang said he would exchange ideas with Vietnam's head coach Tran Duy Long and would submit a report to the VFA upon completing the first phase of his contract.

  There are 49 players in the two Vietnamese national teams. The VFA will pick the best 30 at the beginning of next year for the Asian Cup.

  The Vietnamese national league is divided into three regions - 18 teams in both northern and central regions and 16 in the southern region.

  The top two teams in each region compete in the two-leg, knock-out round together with the team of the host city and the champions of the previous season.

  The host this season is Quang Nan Danang Club and last season's champions were Cang Saigon, the same team who beat Hong Hong First Division new boys Golden 2-0 last Sunday.



Weigang has game's future in his hands