Kim Do-hoon, 9 July 2022
SINGAPORE, 11 AUGUST 2022 – The Lion City Sailors and Head Coach Kim Do-hoon have parted ways.
The club announced the news earlier this evening in a brief statement, which said: “Lion City Sailors and Head Coach Kim Do-hoon have reached a mutual agreement to part ways. We thank him for his service, and we wish him the best in his future endeavours.”
It was added that Football Academy Technical Director Luka Lalić will take interim charge, starting with their upcoming Singapore Premier League SPL fixture against the Young Lions on 13 August.
The former South Korea international, 52, had been sanctioned with a three-match ban and a S$2,000.00 fine yesterday night for his part in a disciplinary case involving the Sailors and Tampines Rovers.
Kim, who was appointed to the role on May 18, 2020, departs the club with a league title, having led them to their maiden SPL crown last season. He also oversaw their first ever Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) campaign earlier this year, where they won two matches, finished third and set numerous landmarks.
Capped 72 times by South Korea, Kim joined on a two-and-a-half-year deal as a replacement for Aurelio Vidmar, and after leading Ulsan Hyundai to the 2020 ACL title. During his 451 days at the Sailors’ helm, Kim took charge of 36 matches across all competitions and won 22 of those, losing six times.
Lalić, who will be in the Sailors dugout for now, had a spell as assistant coach at Balestier Khalsa (2011-2013) and had been at Feyenoord for over three years before joining the Sailors. The 35-year-old Serb holds a UEFA Pro Licence coaching certification.