Ninh Bình Club parts ways with Spanish coach after three consecutive losses

Ninh Bình Club made the decision to dissolve the agreement with Spanish coach Gerard Albadalejo following three straight losses, which cost them the league lead and saw them fall to third in the LPBank V-League 2025/26 table after 14 matchdays.

'We thank head coach Gerard Albadalejo and assistant coach Josep Maria Roma for their contributions.

During the first half of the 2025/26 season, head coach Gerard Albadalejo and assistant coach Josep Maria Roma made valuable contributions, helping Ninh Bình FC achieve several notable milestones.

Ninh Bình FC extends its deepest and most sincere gratitude to the head coach and assistant coach, who not only imparted tactics and professional skills to the players but also fostered a spirit of unity and core values that strengthened the entire team.

We wish coach Gerard Albadalejo and assistant coach Josep Maria Roma good health and continued success on their future paths," the club announced on its official communication channel.

One day earlier, at Thép Xanh Nam Định Club's Thiên Trường stadium, Ninh Bình Club led the home team 2-0 thanks to goals from Thanh Thịnh and Hoàng Đức.

However, they were subsequently put under constant pressure, conceded three goals, and were unable to secure the three points by the final whistle. This marked Ninh Bình Club's third consecutive defeat in this season's V-League.

From leading the table, Hoàng Đức and his teammates have now slipped to third place, trailing the league leaders Công an Hà Nội by eight points. This gap could widen to eleven points if Công an Hà Nội wins their postponed match against SHB Đà Nẵng.

The identity of the team's new head coach will be announced tomorrow, March 3rd. The person who directed the players in the match against Thép Xanh Nam Định, after coach Gerard Albadalejo was dismissed from the technical area, was assistant coach Trần Duy Quang.

During his playing career, Albadalejo played for lesser-known clubs in Catalonia. He retired early at age 26 due to a foot injury and transitioned into coaching.

In 2012, Albadalejo served as an assistant coach for Lleida Esportiu in the Spanish third tier (Segunda Division B). From 2015 to 2017, he was appointed head coach of the reserve team before taking charge of the first team in July 2017. In his season and a half in charge, the most significant achievement for the coach born in 1983 was helping the team eliminate La Liga club Real Sociedad with a 3-2 victory in the Copa del Rey round of 32.

Afterwards, Albadalejo continued working in the third tier for Orihuela (2019-2021), Esportiu Europa (2022), Atletico Saguntino (2022-2023), and Badalona II (2023-2024). He took a break from coaching starting September 2024 before accepting the offer to lead Ninh Bình.