Coach for K League's last-place team resigns

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- Seongnam FC head coach Kim Nam-il stepped down from his post on Wednesday, holding himself accountable with the K League 1 club mired in last place.

Seongnam said Kim offered to resign earlier in the day and the club accepted the move. The former South Korean national team midfielder had told the team on two previous occasions this season that he wanted to quit, but it wasn't until his third offer that Kim got his wish.

Through last week's action, Seongnam were in last place with 18 points, eight behind Gimcheon Sangmu FC. The last-place club in the K League 1 will be automatically relegated to the K League 2 next season.

This was Kim's third season in charge.

Seongnam showed some signs of life with their first winning streak of the year earlier this month but have since lost three straight matches.

Kim's departure only adds to the turmoil of the team owned and run by the municipal government of Seongnam, located just south of Seoul.

In a recent media interview, Seongnam Mayor Sin Sang-jin hinted that he may sell the team to a private company, arguing that Seongnam FC won't get better any time soon and they're wasting taxpayers' money.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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