[Bucheon Field] "A coach who could manage 500 or even 600 games..." Yoo Byung-hoon, acknowledged by the opposing manager, faces resignation rumors immediately after his '100th game' concludes

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"A coach who can go beyond 100 games to manage 500 or even 600."

This heartfelt assessment came from Lee Young-min, BucheonFC manager, a former colleague and friend who has watched Yoo Byung-hoon, FC Anyang manager, longer than anyone else. Yet, just hours later, sudden rumors of the manager's resignation surfaced.

Bucheon and Anyang drew 1-1 in the Hana Bank K League 1 2026 Round 26 match held at Bucheon Stadium on the 29th.

This match held special significance for Manager Yoo. It was his 100th career K League game since he began his coaching journey.

However, an unexpected situation unfolded after the match.

First, Manager Yoo did not attend the official press conference. A representative from Anyang who entered the press room in his place explained, "Manager Yoo has agreed to accept a fine." When asked about the reason for his absence, he replied, "It is likely due to the team's performance."

Subsequently, even more significant news emerged: rumors surfaced that Manager Yoo would step down from his position at Anyang following this Bucheon match.

An Anyang club representative told StarNews, "I also learned about it after reading the article. I need to verify this."

Coincidentally, sudden resignation rumors arose during Manager Yoo's 100th career K League game.

It is true that Anyang's recent form has not been good. In August, Anyang managed only one win, one draw, and four losses in six matches. Particularly, they suffered a crushing 7-0 defeat against their biggest rival FC Seoul in a home match on the 22nd, which dealt them a major blow.

A football industry source also told StarNews, "It is true that the atmosphere has not been good since the 0-7 loss to Seoul."

Nevertheless, Manager Yoo's achievements at Anyang are undeniable. In his first season in charge in 2024, he led the team to the K League 2 title, securing the club's first-ever promotion to K League 1, and subsequently guided the team to remain in the top division.

This season, if we look only at the standings, the situation is not completely collapsed. Anyang currently sits in 6th place in K League 1 with 8 wins, 10 draws, and 8 losses (34 points). They are just four points behind third-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (38 points).

Therefore, the sudden emergence of resignation rumors has been received as even more surprising.

In fact, before the match, Manager Lee Young-min highly praised Manager Yoo's leadership and sincerely congratulated him on reaching 100 K League games.

Manager Lee said, "He deserves congratulations," adding, "He is a manager with sufficient ability to play many more games."

He continued, "I believe he is not only a capable manager but also a friend who could be congratulated even if he manages 500 or 600 games in the future, far beyond just 100."

This was not merely a perfunctory greeting from an opposing manager. Manager Lee and Manager Yoo share a long-standing bond. They shared meals together as players and spent a significant amount of time together at FC Anyang even after transitioning to coaching roles.

When Manager Lee served as Anyang's senior coach from 2013 to 2015, Manager Yoo worked alongside him as a coach. After Manager Lee took over as Anyang's head coach in 2015, Manager Yoo served as his senior coach and assistant.

Subsequently, the two pursued their own paths and have now become opposing managers in K League 1.

Their journeys as coaches are also similar. Manager Yoo became Anyang's official head coach in 2024, winning the K League 2 title in his first season and leading the club to its first-ever promotion to K League 1. He has since been recognized for his coaching abilities by keeping the team in the top division.

Manager Lee's Bucheon also succeeded in promoting to K League 1 for the first time in the club's history after going through the playoffs in the 2025 season.

The two managers, who had competed against each other in K League 2, met again as opposing managers after leading their respective teams to the top division.

Manager Lee also regarded this connection as special. He said, "Manager Yoo and I started from the second division and rose to where we are now," adding, "The fact that we can meet and compete against each other in the top division itself is meaningful."

Given how well they know each other, he admitted that preparing for the head-to-head match is even more difficult. Manager Lee said, "It is hard because we know each other too well," explaining, "There are parts that could be considered simply when facing other teams, but when facing Manager Yoo, I have to think about them one more time."

He continued, "Because I know Manager Yoo's style well, I need to consider various situations more," adding, "Even after finishing training and giving instructions to the players, I keep thinking while watching the video again."

In fact, Bucheon and Anyang faced each other three times this season, resulting in a tight contest with one win, one draw, and one loss for each side. Bucheon defeated Anyang 1-0 last May but lost 2-3 in their next meeting last month. In this third head-to-head match, they could not decide the winner with a 1-1 draw.

Manager Yoo also expressed special emotions about his 100th game before the match.

He said, "I am deeply moved. I never even thought of reaching 100 games," adding, "The fact that I could reach this milestone is due more to my surrounding colleagues, players, and many others than to my own efforts. I will work even harder."

Among the 100th games, the most memorable moment was the promotion to K League 1 achieved alongside winning the K League 2 title in 2024.

He said, "Anyang's promotion is what I remember most," adding, "I put in a lot of effort to achieve this, and I am grateful that I can still play games since coming up to K League 1."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original