Coach Gong Oh-kyun lost control of the Hanoi Police when a club leader interfered in his work.
Coach Gong Oh-kyun lost his coaching position at Hanoi Police (CAHN) after round 7 of V-League 2023-2024. Before that, his team had not won four consecutive matches (two draws, two losses). After that, Technical Director Tran Tien Dai was assigned to take temporary charge, and the defending champion immediately beat Binh Duong 3-0 in round 8. This is the second time Mr. Dai has been assigned this task. The first time took place right before the final round of V-League 2023, after coach Flavio Cruz was fired.
Mr. Gong has returned to Korea. Today, he unexpectedly spoke out about the dark corners at CAHN, through a post on Facebook .
Coach Gong Oh-kyun when leading Hanoi Police in V-League 2023-2024. Photo: Hieu Luong
Coach Gong affirmed that when he was in office, he only focused on the players and the club and did not care about anything else. He did not differentiate between foreign and domestic players but evaluated them from the same perspective through training and competition. The head coach had the right to select players, give tactical instructions in the match and take full responsibility. However, a director interfered in the coach's work. The executive director of CAHN at that time was Mr. Pham Van Le, and the technical director was Tran Tien Dai.
On December 4, 2023, CAHN lost 1-3 away to Hai Phong in round 4. Before the match, a director texted the group to announce his departure from the team but then suddenly returned. "Despite the authority and responsibility of the head coach, this person personally selected the players and then put pressure, almost forcing the players to follow," said coach Gong. "External pressure is applied and you will be at a disadvantage if you do not comply."
The 1974-born coach continued: "I not only feel helpless but also heartbroken when I see the players not giving 100% on the field because of what happened."
In the last match under Gong's leadership, CAHN lost 1-2 away to Khanh Hoa in round 7. Goalkeeper Nguyen Filip rushed forward to attack in the corner kick situation at the end of the match to help find the equalizer, but coach Gong asked Filip not to attack because it was related to the goal difference of the whole tournament. "But this director hit me in the back and ordered Filip to attack," Gong shared. "A ridiculous situation was created, in which the coach's authority was violated."
Coach Gong was then suspended from the club. He accepted the decision and prepared a training plan for January 2024, but he realized it was just an "empty promise".
Gong Oh-kyun wrote: "I was informed that I was fired. The club's promise to give me a chance until the end of the first round of the V-League was not kept. Despite being treated unfairly, I still cooperated with the club as much as possible to keep the terms of the contract. But someone leaked the details of the contract to the outside. They spread the news through the media that I did not agree and wanted to terminate the contract for money."
Mr. Gong once brought Vietnam to the quarterfinals of the 2022 AFC U23 Championship. At that time, he made a strong impression by encouraging young players to hold the ball, coordinate short passes and play offensively. The 50-year-old coach affirmed that money is not what he aims for when returning to Vietnamese football, but the dream of creating new and attractive matches to repay everyone's love and support for him.
When they failed to reach an agreement, the club pressured Gong to the point where he could no longer stand it and terminated his contract. One of the methods was to move the coach to the youth team, where the living conditions were poor. "I believe I am not the only one who has been treated like this," Gong said. "I am telling you this story in the hope that no one else will suffer like me."
After resolving the conflict with the club, Coach Gong confirmed that he had terminated his contract with CAHN on January 18, and had no intention of suing the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) or the World Football Federation (FIFA). Meanwhile, CAHN introduced its new head coach Kiatisuk Senamuang on January 15. The team has not commented on Coach Gong's post.
Hieu Luong
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