*This content was translated by AI.
Kim Pan-gon (57), who was replaced by Ulsan HD coach in the K League 1 of professional football last year, returned to the Malaysian stage.
The Malaysian professional football club Slangor FC officially announced the appointment of head coach Kim Pan-gon on the 5th (Korea Standard Time). Kim, who was replaced as Ulsan coach in August last year, returned to the scene as a head coach after five months of replacement.
It is the first time that he has been a coach of a Malaysian club team, but Malaysian soccer is a familiar stage for coach Kim Pan-gon. He has led the success of Malaysian football as a coach, having served as Malaysia's national team from 2022 to 2024.
At the time, coach Kim Pan-gon led Malaysia to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup finals for the first time since 1980. During Kim's tenure, Malaysia's FIFA ranking rose from 154th to 130th.
Since then, head coach Kim Pan-gon has been appointed to the position of Ulsan head coach, which Hong Myung-bo left in 2024. Coach Kim, who joined the team in the middle of the season, led the team for half a year and paid off Ulsan's K League 1 victory in the 2024 season. However, the ups and downs of the 2025 season, which was prepared solely under the "Kim Pan-gon system," were severe.
Since his first year in office, the AFC Champions League has been sluggish, and he lost all three games at the FIFA Club World Cup. Coach Kim Pan-gon was eventually dismissed a year after his appointment after an extreme slump, including elimination from the quarterfinals of the Korea Cup, six consecutive AFC Champions League elite K-League games with no wins (three draws and three losses), and 10 official games with no wins (three draws and seven losses).
After five months of replacement, Kim Pan-gon returned to Malaysia, a familiar stage, and returned to the scene as a director. "Based on his abundant experience and outstanding performance, I am confident that head coach Kim Pan-gon will lead the team to a higher level," Slangor said.
Manager Kim Pan-gon said through the club, "The joining of Slangor FC came from confidence in the club's vision and commitment. The club's goals and direction were consistent with my personal aspirations as a coach, he said. "My coaching philosophy is always player-centered. High-quality training, tactical planning, and opponent analysis are emphasized to ensure that the team is fully prepared. We will continue to provide encouragement and motivation to compete together outside the stadium as well. I will rekindle my pride in the team with high intensity and aggressive performance."
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*This content was translated by AI.
