Triumph and Turmoil: South Korean Coaches Take Center Stage at ASEAN Football Championship

SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — One South Korean head coach was crowned the champion while another was dismissed following the end of the top men’s football tournament in Southeast Asia over the weekend.

Coached by Kim Sang-sik, Vietnam captured the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup title over Thailand. They prevailed 3-2 in the second leg of the final at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Sunday, after taking the first leg 2-1 at Viet Tri Stadium in Viet Tri, Vietnam, last Thursday.

This was Vietnam’s first ASEAN men’s football title since 2018, when another South Korean-born tactician, Park Hang-seo, was in charge.

Kim, who coached Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to the 2021 K League 1 title, grabbed the Vietnam reinsin May last year.

“This is the victory of the people of Vietnam. I want to thank my players for their sacrifice and dedication,” Kim said. “I feel like I’ve scaled a big mountain but there will be more to come. I will try to win the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games at the end of the year.”

While Kim was celebrated, Indonesia’s South Korean head coach Shin Tae-yong was fired following the team’s elimination in the group stage at the ASEAN tournament. Shin had been Indonesia’s bench boss since December 2019.

The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) announced the decision on its website Monday, saying it was reached after long deliberation and evaluation carried out by both the association and the National Team Agency. The association thanked Shin for his contribution to Indonesian football.

On Shin’s watch, Indonesia finished as the runner-up at the 2020 ASEAN Championship and reached the semifinals at the same event two years later.

At the 2024 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup in April, which doubled as the Paris Olympic qualifying event, Indonesiaupset South Korea 11-10 on penalties in the quarterfinals and denied Shin’s native country a chance to compete at the Olympics.

Shin signed a contract extension last June that would have taken him to 2027. PSSI President Erick Thohir said Shin will be compensated for the remainder of the deal.

At this year’s ASEAN Championship, Indonesia finished third in Group B, with only the top two advancing to the knockouts. After beating Myanmar 1-0, Indonesia were held to a 3-3 draw by Laos, coached by fellow South Korean Ha Hyeok-jun, and then lost to Vietnam 1-0. They fell to the Philippines 1-0 in what turned out to be Shin’s final match.

Indonesia are trying to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time. In the ongoing third round, they are in third place in Group C with six points, one back of Australia, with four matches to go. The top two nations from each of the three groups will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while teams placing third and fourth will move on to the fourth round.

(Yonhap)