Marian Mihail's Short-Lived Tenure Ends with Sudden Exit
The football world doesn’t often see a head coach step down after only four months, but that’s exactly what happened at FLC Thanh Hoa. Romanian manager Marian Mihail called it quits on April 7, 2018, after suffering a 3-1 defeat away to Sanna Khanh Hoa in V.League 1. His coaching journey in Vietnam wrapped up as abruptly as it began, drawing attention to the challenges foreign coaches face in the league.
Mihail was appointed in mid-December 2017, taking over from Ljupko Petrović. There was cautious optimism around his arrival, given his reputation in European football. However, transitioning that success to Vietnam’s top-tier league proved to be anything but simple. By the time Mihail left, Thanh Hoa had slipped to seventh in the standings—a disappointing spot given their ambitions at the start of the season.
The big talking point of Mihail’s brief run was Thanh Hoa’s first taste of international competition. The team fought its way through the AFC Cup group stages, facing clubs like Global-Cebu from the Philippines, and jumped straight into the tough waters of ACL (AFC Champions League) qualifying against Hong Kong’s Eastern FC. Those matches came thick and fast. Some were triumphant, including a tense AFC Cup victory where Mihail highlighted his squad’s grit, though he admitted the team fell flat in the later stages of games.
Immediate Change and New Challenges Ahead
The reaction from the club was swift. Hoang Thanh Tung, a name already familiar to fans, stepped in as the interim manager almost immediately after Mihail’s departure. Thanh Hoa’s leadership is likely hoping Tung can steady the ship while they reconsider their approach to both domestic and continental football.
Mihail’s record with Thanh Hoa wasn’t disastrous, but pressure mounts quickly in a highly competitive league. The squad was still adjusting to his methods and style, and the added demands of international fixtures may have stretched resources thin. It’s not easy to manage expectations when a team is new to the pressures of continental football, and Mihail himself conceded that balancing the domestic season with historic international competitions was a huge test.
Despite the setback, Thanh Hoa’s foray into Asian football this year gave local fans plenty to talk about. Many will be watching closely to see if the club’s leadership can leverage recent experience to rebuild momentum in the V.League 1, and whether Mihail’s short chapter offers any lessons for blending foreign expertise with homegrown ambition.
