The coaching panel of Vietnam’s national football team will report on and explain their unacceptable failure at the ongoing 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup in Thailand and Malaysia in a meeting chaired by the Vietnam Football Federation today. The champions of the 2008 AFF Cup ended their journey at the 2012 edition in the group stage with only 1 point after two defeats to Thailand and the Philippines, and a draw with Myanmar. The poor result was attributed by insiders and analysts to poor preparation by coaching officials, unscientific stamina training, and inadequate player recruitment. “The coaches had the players engaged in heavy stamina training in Nha Trang, and immediately sent them into three to four friendly matches after that, while they should have been allowed to take some rest,” said Pham The Trieu, deputy director of the An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Meanwhile Nguyen Hong Thanh, chairman of the Song Lam Nghe An football club, said many qualified players have not been recruited to the national team. The English fitness expert for the team, Dylan Keer, is also at the centre of criticism. “Keer’s fitness exercises are only appropriate for a long-haul tournament like the V-League, not a two-week group stage at the AFF Cup,” said Thanh, of Song Lam Nghe An. The chair of head coach Phan Thanh Hung at the national squad is expected to be the hottest issue at the meeting today. Hung is the first-ever domestic coach to take the wheel at the national team, and people are wondering if he will remain at the post after his failed debut. The coach said he will wait for the result of the meeting. “I will also have to talk with VFF chairman Nguyen Trong Hy for the final decision,” he told reporters. Thailand and the Philippines have won the Group A tickets to the semifinal, while Malaysia and Singapore took the two in Group B. The first-leg semi match between the Philippines and Singapore, and Malaysia and Thailand will take place on December 9.