Professional soccer K League 1 Jeonbuk Hyundai manager Kim Sang-sik stepped down after being pressured to resign.
On the 4th,ㅋㅋㅋ벳 the Jeonbuk club said, “Director Kim Sang-sik informed of his intention to resign for personal reasons, and the club accepted it.” “This put an end to the 15-year long accompaniment that led to player-coach-manager after wearing the Jeonbuk uniform in 2009.” announced that
He added, “In order to minimize the agitation of the players, we will appoint an optimal successor coach as soon as possible.”
‘Legend’ who led Jeonbuk championship as a player and coach Coach
Kim Sang-sik, who started his career as a player at Cheonan Ilhwa (currently Seongnam FC) in 1999, participated in 457 games and recorded 18 goals and 17 assists. He played an active role as a representative defensive midfielder in the K-League, and also wore the national team uniform.
He moved to Jeonbuk in 2009 and took over as captain from his first season and led him to the championship, and after enjoying one more championship in 2011, he announced his retirement from active duty in 2013.
The following year, coach Kim Sang-sik, who started as a leader by serving as the head coach assisting Jeonbuk coach Choi Kang-hee at the time, ascended to the command tower as the successor to coach Jose Morais in 2021 and became the first coach as a former Jeonbuk player.
Jeonbuk fans expected that manager Kim Sang-sik, who has been active as a player and coach for over 10 years and knows Jeonbuk’s soccer style better than anyone else, will open a new heyday for the club.
Coach Kim Sang-sik won the K-League championship in the first year of his debut at the command tower. However, it was thanks to inheriting the power accumulated by his predecessors, and there was a critical evaluation that his performance was not satisfactory and his tactical ability was poor.
Seongnam fan spirit in continued sluggishness… Director Kim Sang-shik put down the baton
Last season, Jeonbuk attempted to win the championship for the first time in the K-League for six consecutive years, but was blocked by rival Ulsan Hyundai led by coach Hong Myung-bo and finished runner-up. Although he kept his pride by winning the FA Cup, it was not enough to meet the eye level of Jeonbuk fans.
Jeonbuk, which declared that they would regain the championship, started to reinforce their strength this season by recruiting Jun Amano, Dongjun Lee, Taewook Jung, Andre Luiz, and Hafa Silva.
However, after losing 1-2 to Ulsan in the opening match, Jeonbuk started off shaky and fell into the bottom ranks after being caught by Suwon Samsung, Daegu FC, and Pohang Steelers. Some strong fans criticized manager Kim Sang-sik during the game, which was close to personal attacks.
During the game, spectators stormed in and argued with the referee, and after the game, fans blocked the club’s bus and urged the resignation of manager Kim Sang-sik and club CEO Heo Byung-gil.
Nevertheless, Jeonbuk’s performance was not expected to improve due to injuries to attackers such as Lee Dong-jun, Cho Kyu-seong, and Song Min-gyu, and defensive anxiety. In the end, coach Kim Sang-sik, who had a ‘cruel April’ by losing consecutively in home matches against Daejeon Hana Citizen and Gangwon FC, finally decided to resign.
Attention is focusing on whether Jeonbuk, which has faced the greatest crisis since its foundation, will find a breakthrough as it has fallen to 10th place (10 points, 3 wins, 1 draw, 6 losses), the second division relegation zone this season, and even the command tower has become vacant.