Following a four-hour discussion Wednesday with coach Arsene Wenger and commercial director Adrian Ford at Arsenal headquarters, the club agreed to train Vietnamese youths and coaches, construct an institute of football in Vietnam, and send a delegation to survey HAGL to help set up youth training system.

Arsenal also pledged to give HAGL authority to exclusively rights to its commercial copyright in Vietnam’s market including souvenirs, television rights, and trademark promotion.

A detailed agreement between the two clubs will be signed in early December in England when HAGL players travel there for a training trip to prepare for new football season in Vietnam.

The team will have two friendly matches with Arsenal on December 12 and 19, coach Wenger confirmed.

Wenger told HAGL chairman Doan Nguyen Duc his visit to Arsenal was greatly appreciated as his club wants to establish strategic relations with a partner in Southeast Asia.

Amicable talks

The HAGL delegation to Arsenal was given a warm welcome and attended a lunch with the club leaders and players such as goalkeeper Jens Lehmanns, defender William Gallas, midfielder Frederick Ljungberg, and striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The hosts expressed their surprise at learning of the mad fondness for football in Vietnam as they watched video clips featuring millions of fans in the streets after national team victories.

They also saw images of a little girl who burst into tears at seeing the Vietnamese national team’s loss, or the fact that millions of fans in Vietnam stay up till two or three o’clock in following morning to watch English Premier League, Italian or French or Spanish leagues.

“I’m surprised at the depth of Vietnam’s love for football,” coach Wenger said.

French coach Wenger then took the Vietnamese delegation on a tour of the modern facilities used for training at the club.

Reported by Quang Huy – Translated by Minh Phat