The recent slump has been painful. FC Seoul head coach Ahn Ik-soo (58) has announced his intention to resign.
FC Seoul played Daegu FC to a 2-2 draw in the 27th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on September 19.먹튀검증
After a good start to the season, in which they seemed to have resolved some of their frustrating goal-decision issues from last season, Seoul have risen to second place in the table behind current leaders Ulsan Hyundai, but they are winless in their last five matches, including this match against Daegu.
[OSEN=Seoul World Cup Stadium, Reporter Choi Kyu-han]
Seoul’s task has been made more difficult since Hwang Eui-jo, who wore the Seoul jersey on a short-term loan, returned to his original club Nottingham Forest at the start of July. The team seemed to fill the void left by Hwang Ui-jo in a 7-2 win over Suwon FC on July 12, but since then, the team has continued to struggle in attack and concede late goals due to a lack of depth at the back.
After failing to win the match against Daegu, Ahn announced his resignation.
At the post-match press conference, Ahn said, “Two years ago, when I was hired, I was asked in an interview why I accepted the Seoul job, and I always felt that Seoul should be a team that should be responsible for Korean football. At the time, the team was ranked 10th. I had a difficult time with relegation, but I wanted to help Seoul a little bit,” he said.
[OSEN=Seoul World Cup Stadium, reporter Lee Dae-sun].
“I’ve said this before, and I still feel that way. I think FC Seoul needs a change at this point in time to develop further. I did my best to fulfill my promise to you and my heart’s resolve, but I couldn’t fulfill what I was looking for and I had to quit.”
Ahn continued, “I think my role is over. I apologize for not being able to accomplish what I had hoped for and dropping out,” he added.
Ahn tried to find a solution after Hwang’s departure by bringing in Bjorn Johnson to compensate for the team’s struggles, but the professional world was cold and didn’t have the patience to wait in the face of fierce competition.
Ahn, who took over the reins of Seoul in the middle of the 2021 season and saved the club from relegation, was unable to escape the recent slump and was eventually relieved of his duties.
[OSEN=Seoul World Cup Stadium, Reporter Park Joon-hyung].
Ahn said, “Seoul is a team that will continue to lead Korean soccer and spread a healthy message. I will support them as a guardian spirit from afar,” he said, adding, “I would like to thank the owner for believing in me, the front office and staff for supporting the team, the Seoul supporters for following the team everywhere in bad weather such as rain, wind, and heat, and all the people who work behind the scenes, such as the people who manage the training ground grass.” He left a final message.
Meanwhile, after receiving the news of Ahn’s resignation through the media, the Seoul club said it would review the matter, saying it had not yet been agreed upon.