Has the U17 Malaysia coach been dismissed after the 0-4 defeat to Vietnam?

The future of coach Javier Jorda Ribera is highly uncertain after the 0-4 defeat by U17 Vietnam, preventing qualification for the Asian Championship finals.

On the evening of November 30 at PVF Stadium (Hung Yen), the U17 Vietnam team secured a convincing 4-0 victory over direct rivals U17 Malaysia, thereby earning a spot in the 2026 U17 Asian Championship finals with a perfect record of five wins and no goals conceded.

Conversely, the Malaysian youth team faced a harsh reality check, having had high expectations for this tournament, especially in the match against the host nation.

According to NST, the future of coach Javier Jorda Ribera has once again become a hot topic after the U17 Malaysia team’s 0-4 defeat to hosts Vietnam on Sunday, officially ending their hopes of reaching the 2026 U17 Asian Championship finals: “This heavy loss raises a major question: is the Spanish coach’s training method truly effective when the team is under pressure to win?”, NST reported.

After the match, Coach Ribera admitted that his players were outplayed by a disciplined and sharp U17 Vietnam team:

“We had a chance to score in the very first attack, but two minutes later they scored from a free kick. From that moment, all the pressure was on us and we struggled against their counterattacks,” he said. “Although we maintained possession, they controlled the tempo of the game and scored their second goal just before halftime.”

“Moreover, despite highlighting the positives that Malaysia ‘worked hard and performed well as a team’ with four previous wins, an undeniable fact remains: Ribera’s team often dominates weaker opponents but falters against stronger teams. This repeated pattern causes experts to continue questioning the tactical preparation and players’ readiness for crucial matches,” NST concluded.

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