South Korean football club FC Seoul announced Tuesday they have accepted the resignation of head coach An Ik-soo.
In a corresponding move, the K League 1 outfit named assistant coach Kim Jin-kyu as their caretaker manager.
An made a surprise offer to resign from his post in the immediate aftermath of FC Seoul's 2-2 draw against Daegu FC in Seoul on Saturday. During his post-match press conference, An pulled out a tablet to read from a prepared statement, catching club officials off guard. Some players were later seen leaving Seoul World Cup Stadium in tears after learning of An's abrupt resignation offer.
"Coach An Ik-soo was adamant that it was time for a major change at the club in order for us to take a big step forward," FC Seoul said in a statement. "After thinking long and hard about his resignation offer, we decided to accept it."
An took over FC Seoul in September 2021, with the club mired in last place and in danger of direct relegation to the K League 2. An dragged them out of the cellar and FC Seoul finished in seventh place out of 12 teams.
They ranked ninth in 2022 but have been enjoying a better season this year, sitting in fourth place with 11 matches remaining. They are second in goals scored in the K League 1 with 48, two behind the leaders, Ulsan Hyundai FC.
However, they have gone winless in their past five contests, with three draws and two losses. They have blown late leads in recent matches, prompting vocal supporters to call for An's head.
Kim, 38, has been on FC Seoul's bench since 2020. The former national team defender coached FC Seoul's under-18 squad for two years before that.
Kim will be in charge starting with Sunday's match against first-place Ulsan.
Source: Yonhap News Agency