Famous Korean Coach Cha Kyung-bok Dies

Cha Kyung-bok, one of Asia’s best-known and most successful coaches has died at the age of 69.

Cha had been suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease.

The former referee rose to prominence when he took the reins at K-League outfit Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in 1998.

He steered the team to three consecutive domestic titles starting in 2001 and reached the final of the 2004 Asian Champions League.

In 2003, he was named as Asia’s coaches of the year by the Asian Football Confederation.

Current Seongnam coach Kim Hak-bum said: “It is a sad day for Korean football. He was a paragon for all footballers and we were hoping he would contribute more to the game in Korea, especially the K-League.”


2003 AFC Coach of the Year dies

Former Seongnam Ilhwa coach Cha Kyung-bok, who won the AFC Coach of the Year award in 2003, died today. Cha led Seongnam to three consecutive K-League titles from 2001-03 and was in charge of the side when they lost to Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in the 2004 AFC Champions League Final.

Korean media reported that he was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease since last May. Cha made his K-League debut as a coach in 1994 with Jeonbuk Motor’s before moving to Seongnam Ilhwa in 1998. Cha made major changes to the team and within a few years Seongnam were one of the clubs to reckon with in the K-League.

The versatile Cha, who participated in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as an assistant referee, also headed the KFA’s technical and referees’ committees. Current Seongnam coach Kim Hak-bum said: “It is a sad day for Korean football. He was a paragon for all footballers and we were hoping he would contribute more to the game in Korea, especially the K-League.”