Coach Kim Sang Sik Returns to South Korea After Family Bereavement: The One-Week Gap Before ASEAN Cup 2026

In international football, not every piece of sad news belongs purely to the individual. The father of Vietnam national team head coach Kim Sang Sik has passed away at the age of 84. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) immediately issued a message of condolence. VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan personally encouraged the Korean tactician to return home to handle funeral arrangements. According to VFF sources, Kim is expected to remain in South Korea for about a week before returning to Vietnam.

But the timing of the event turns it into a tactical story.

The ASEAN Cup 2026 kicks off from September 24 to October 5. Vietnam has been drawn in Group A alongside Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan. This is the final preparation phase. Every training session, every video analysis meeting, every tactical plan carries its own weight. And the man who orchestrates those sessions will be absent for at least a week.

How much is one week worth in international football?

In Southeast Asian football, national teams typically compress their tactical workload into short, intensive windows. Unlike European clubs that have an entire season to build a playing style, national teams get only a few weeks. The head coach is the orchestrator: designing attacking plans, organising the defensive line, preparing specific schemes for each opponent.

When the head coach is absent, the work does not stop. Assistant coaches still run training sessions. But quality and continuity change. Tactical sessions require the presence of the final decision-maker. Without Kim, those sessions are either postponed or conducted in a holding pattern.

For a team aiming to advance from the group stage, losing a week of preparation during a critical phase is a manageable risk, but one that cannot be ignored.

Is the VFF reacting correctly — or reacting wisely?

One must look at how the VFF handled the situation. The condolence statement carried no performance expectations. The VFF President did not talk about the tournament. He only spoke about family.

The message was clear: this organisation understands that a coach in mourning needs time, not added pressure. This is the conduct of a mature institution. Compared to some federations where coaches are pressured to stay because of the fixture calendar, the VFF's approach is a governance plus.

But one must also stay clear-headed. The sympathy for Kim has limits. If Vietnam underperforms at the ASEAN Cup 2026, the narrative will shift quickly. Sympathy cannot shield a coach from failure, even if it softens the first few days.

Group A: Not too hard, but not easy

Vietnam shares a group with Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan. On paper, this is a favourable draw. The Philippines and Pakistan are rated lower. Thailand is the main rival for top spot.

The biggest tactical question lies in the encounter with Thailand. That is the match Kim needs to prepare for most thoroughly. A week's absence does not remove his ability to analyse footage, but it reduces the time available to communicate tactical ideas to players on the training pitch.

Thai football in recent years has shown superiority in organisation and match experience. To take them on, Vietnam needs a clear tactical plan drilled to the point of automation. A week cut from an already narrow time budget could affect how polished that plan becomes.

What cannot be seen from the outside

There are two possibilities. First, Kim's assistant coaching staff continues to operate according to a previously approved plan. If the main tactical workload was already delivered before Kim departed, the impact will be small.

Second, this one-week window was the time for the key tactical sessions. If so, this is a genuine gap that could directly affect the opening match.

There is not enough public data to determine which possibility is correct. But one thing is certain: in football history, a head coach's absence during the pre-tournament phase has rarely been counted as an advantage.

Psychological factors and squad morale

This is the least-mentioned point but possibly the most important. Kim has led Vietnam since May 2026, working with both the U23 and senior national teams. He is a coach the players trust.

When a coach faces a family crisis, the natural response of the squad is often to play with more effort. The 'playing for the manager' factor is a recognised phenomenon in sports psychology. It can create a temporary boost, if channelled correctly.

The risk lies with the coach himself. Upon his return, his mental state may not be fully settled. Decision-making under high pressure during ASEAN Cup matches could be affected in the first few days. This is difficult to predict and has no specific mitigation.

The contrarian angle: Don't dramatise a single week

Football media tends to exaggerate. A head coach's one-week absence is not a catastrophe. Big teams around the world have been through similar situations and still performed well. A national team does not depend on one individual in every training session.

Moreover, if the VFF agreed to let Kim take a week off, it is likely they already had a plan. The coaching staff includes several experienced assistants. Opponent analysis can be done remotely through video.

The real issue is not one week.

The real issue is how Vietnam handles expectation. A team expected to clear the group stage — and possibly go further — always carries self-imposed pressure. That pressure does not disappear because the coach is away for a week. It simply shifts from the training pitch to the players' minds.

Questions to track

When Kim returns to Vietnam, three signals are worth watching.

First, whether the team immediately organises a tactical session, and what that session focuses on.

Second, Kim's first public statement to the media. If he mentions focus and preparation, that is a sign his mental state has stabilised. If he appears tired or withdrawn, that is a signal to track.

Third, the starting line-up in the opening match. Unexpected changes may reflect tactical adjustments caused by a disrupted preparation phase.

Forward-looking conclusion

Football is a human sport, and humans cannot be separated from emotion. Kim Sang Sik is going through the greatest loss a person can experience. Vietnam, as a collective, faces a test of collective character: can they run themselves when the man who leads them is absent for a crucial week?

The VFF has done its part with a humane approach. The rest belongs to the coaching staff, the players and Kim himself. The ASEAN Cup 2026 will answer. And that answer, whatever it is, will not only be about wins and losses on the scoreboard.