HA NOI — Viet Nam Football Federation general secretary Tran Quoc Tuan has resigned and the search is now on for a replacement.

The resignation was accepted and announced at a press briefing in Ha Noi yesterday, the The Thao&Van Hoa (Sports&Culture) newspaper reported.

A resignation from Tuan was refused last week after federation leaders said the loss of Viet Nam's under-23 team at the Indonesian SEA Games was not his responsibility alone.

Federation deputy chairman Nguyen Lan Trung said yesterday the VFF appreciated Tuan's contribution to the national football over the past six years.

Tuan said he had thought a lot before making his decision and hoped that the VFF would respect it.

"It is not because of public pressure. I have resigned because I think it is time for the Viet Nam federation to change," said Tuan after the press briefing.

Tuan was the youngest general secretary of VFF when he was appointed to the position in 2005 at the age of 34.

He represents the nation in the Asian Football Confederation and the Southeast Asian Football Federation. Tuan was the first ever Vietnamese official to join the confederation.

He will continue in both positions until the end of this term in 2015.

Among Tuan's tenure highlights were Viet Nam's participation at the AFF Cup in 2010 and three recent SEA Games. He was head of the organising board of the national V-League tournament in 2009 and 2010.

The VFF said the search would now begin for a replacement general secretary. — VNS