PETALING JAYA: Kelantan United have named South Korean Park Jae-hong (pic) as their new head coach for the 2024-2025 Super League season.
The long-awaited speculation on who would take over the helm of The Golden Deer was finally answered as the 45-year-old Jae-hong arrived in Kota Baru three weeks before they start the new season.
Jae-hong’s arrival makes him the third South Korean coach in Malaysia after Harimau Malaya gaffer Kim Pan-gon and M3 League side Kelantan coach Choi Moon-sik. Before taking over the reins in Kelantan, Jae-hong was in charge of K3 league team Yangju Citizen last season.
A former South Korean national player, Jae-hong started his football career at the age of 16 and made his international debut in 2000, competing in that year’s Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Asian Cup.
After playing in South Korea, he made his way to Romanian club FC Cluj where he won two championships with the team.
He then returned to Asia and played for Thai team Police United in 2012, and eventually hung up his boots the following year.
Having an eye to spot talent, Jae-hong was then recruited as a scout for Bucheon, where two years later he was promoted to a coach.
Following a four-year period working at television channel tvN, he was then offered the head coach position in Yangju Citizen.
During the absence of a head coach, assistant coach Rezal Zambery had been in charge of Golden Deer and he will be alongside Jae-hong for the upcoming season.Kelantan United did well in their pre-season fixture against Thai League 3 club Pattani, winning 3-0 at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Wednesday.
The Golden Deer have new names in their squad for Jae-hong to utilise with the likes of Muzungu Chadrack from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivian David Viana, and Guinea-Bissau striker Valdumar Augusto Te.
Kelantan United will start their Super League season with an away match against Pahang on May 11.
