[풋볼리스트] Reporter Seo Ho-jeong = Manager Kim Nam-il has stepped down from Seongnam FC’s leadership position. Seongnam, who is on the verge of being relegated to the bottom of the K League 1, must start looking for hope for survival by stimulating the change of coaches.
On the morning of the 24th, manager Kim visited the club and officially expressed his intention to resign to CEO Park Chang-hoon. This is the second time this season. Manager Kim expressed his intention to step down from the press conference following losing the match once morest Kim Cheon in early April, when the team was in a slump. However, at the time, it was withdrawn due to opposition from CEO Park and the club.
Seongnam were on the verge of relegation with only two wins until the 22nd round. During the East Asian Cup break, Seongnam, who renovated the team through various efforts of coach Kim, has since defeated Incheon and Jeju one following another and shot the hope of escaping from the bottom. However, they lost in the match once morest Kimcheon in 10th place and Suwon in 11th place, which was a six-point match. On the 21st, away from Seoul, they tried to get points with realistic soccer, but they lost 0-2 to Ilyuchenko’s multi-goal. The difference between the lowest ranked Seongnam and 11th ranked Gimcheon is 8 points.
Recently, Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin, the owner of the club, has publicly expressed his opinion on the sale and dissolution of the team, and the crisis in Seongnam is further exacerbated. Before and following the Seoul match, coach Kim said, “The players learned regarding the news through the news on the day of the match. There have been adverse effects,” he said. At a press conference following the game, he said, “There is nothing the club can do. We have to follow the city’s decision, but I hope it goes in the direction of maintaining the team and supporting it.”
It is known that coach Kim solidified his resignation following losing two consecutive matches once morest Gimcheon and Suwon, which were like the peak of hope for the rest. After those two consecutive defeats, there is a growing public opinion that a drug prescription is needed to stay. After the defeat in Seoul on the 21st, he conveyed his apologies to the club, and on the 24th, he officially conveyed his intentions to CEO Park. As it is the second statement of the company during the season, it seems difficult for the club to convince Kim, unlike last April.
Now Seongnam must find a new leader to take over the team. As head coach Jung Kyung-ho has a P-level license, theoretically, he is able to act as a supervisor. However, coach Jung has been an assistant to coach Nam-il Kim since 2020. They may not be held responsible or accept the supervisory agent. In that case, you need to quickly find a new commander.
With 11 games left, including the final round, Seongnam’s chances of remaining are getting slimmer, but things change once they get to 11th place. In K League 1 this season, the 12th place, the bottom of the season, will be directly relegated, and the 11th and 10th places will play the second place in K League 2, and the final winner of the playoff will play a relegation playoff.
Photo = Korea Professional Football Federation
