Gwangju FC mutually terminate deal with head coach
K League 1 club's outgoing head coach Lee Jung-hyo / Yonhap
Gwangju FC announced Sunday they have terminated their contract with head coach Lee Jung-hyo by mutual consent, with the tactician rumored to be on his way to another domestic club.
Gwangju FC of the top-flight K League 1 said Lee had asked his way out of the deal on Dec. 12, with two more seasons left. Following a legal review, the club decided to grant Lee his wish Sunday.
Lee, 50, grabbed Gwangju's reins in December 2021 and led them to the title in the second-tier K League 2 in 2022. Gwangju set a record for most points in the K League 2 with 86 and earned direct promotion to the K League 1 for 2023.
Despite predictions that they'd be lucky to avoid relegation, Gwangju FC finished the 2023 K League 1 season in third place with 59 points, thanks to a club-record 16 wins, 11 draws and 11 losses.
Gwangju FC slipped to ninth place in 2024 but improved to seventh place this year. In other competitions, they reached the final of the Korea Cup this year, falling to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 in a hard-fought contest, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite tournament in April this year.
For all his on-field success, Lee has stirred controversy with his volatility -- once shoving his own player in an on-field outburst caught on national TV and often getting into heated arguments with referees.
Lee is said to be nearing a deal with Suwon Samsung Bluewings, four-time K League 1 champions who have been stuck in the second division since suffering direction relegation after the 2023 season. After losing in the promotion-relegation playoffs earlier this month, Suwon Samsung decided not to bring back head coach Byun Sung-hwan for a third season.
In a message released by Gwangju FC, Lee thanked the club's fans for their support over the past four years, saying it was "the most intense" stretch of his life.
"This was more than a football club for me. Gwangju FC taught me how to trust people, how to stick to principles and how to endure difficult times," he said. "Now, I am about to take on a new challenge. I did not make this decision because Gwangju FC didn't have the money or because I demanded certain conditions. I wanted to challenge myself and prove myself on a bigger stage, and help Korean football take a step forward."