Incheon coach Cho Sung-hwan voluntarily resigned, terminated the contract under mutual agreement with the club

Jul 05, 2024

photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

Cho Sung-hwan, head coach of Incheon United, resigned.

An official familiar with the K-League situation said through Sports Chosun on the 5th that coach Cho Sung-hwan will leave Incheon. Coach Cho first expressed his intention to resign to the club. The contract was terminated by mutual agreement with the club. However, coach Cho agreed to step down after directing the game against Kimcheon Sangmu scheduled for the 5th. Acting head coach Byun Jae-seop will be in charge. Incheon will reportedly find a replacement coach as soon as possible,' he hinted.

Incheon is ranked 9th with 4 wins, 8 draws, and 8 losses (20 points) in 20 games of 「Hana Bank K League 1 2024」. There is a long period of sluggishness. He has three draws and four losses in the last seven games. In fact, it is in the relegation zone. There is a small gap with Daegu FC (20 points), Daejeon Hana Citizen (18 points), and Jeonbuk Hyundai (16 points). Some of the main players, including Lee Myung-joo and Gerson, suffered from injuries. On top of that, there was a gap as Chun Sung-hoon and others recently transferred. Recalling 2020 earlier, he recalled "I think it will be really harder than any season if the team is not as desperate as when we stay in 2020, and if we don't prepare well for each game. I hope all of Incheon's family members, including me, the coaching staff, the team, and the front of the club, become one with alarm. Then I think it will produce good results." he expressed a sense of crisis.

photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

Cho made his own decision. He took responsibility for his poor performance and conveyed his intention to resign to the team. Coach Cho joined Incheon as the 11th head coach in August 2020. Coach Cho led the team with strong charisma. He succeeded in staying, landing Incheon, which was in the relegation zone, in the final 11th place. Incheon, led by head coach Cho, ranked eighth in 2021 and fourth in 2022. In particular, in 2022, it created a history of taking the stage in the Asian Champions League (ACL) for the first time since the club's foundation. However, it slowed down a bit to fifth place in 2023 and fell to ninth place this season.

epi17@sportschosun.com