Head coach Choi Kang-hee, who took the baton in Shandong Taishan, China, started working by directing team training.
On the 16th, Shandong announced the appointment of Choi Kang-hee as head coach through the club website. The specific contract period and salary were not disclosed. Coach Choi Kang-hee returned to the field as a leader two years after stepping down from Shanghai Shenhua in 2021.
On the 17th, Shandong released a pictorial featuring Choi Kang-hee’s first training appearance. Coach Choi Kang-hee shook hands with Marouane Fellaini, who is in charge of the team’s captain, and watched the players training while wearing sunglasses at the training ground. The Shandong players seemed to be concentrating on training while sweating beads while coach Choi Kang-hee watched.
Director Choi Kang-hee’s assistants are also included in the pictorial. Coach Choi Kang-hee called together coaches who had been with Tianjin Quanjian, Dalian Yifang, and Shanghai Shenhua, such as Kim Hyeon-min and Kim Hwa-hyun. Also in Shandong, there is coach Fabio Lepundes, who worked with Jeonbuk Hyundai.스포츠토토
After reorganizing the team, coach Choi Kang-hee plans to play the 8th round of the Chinese Super League against Tianjin Jinmen at Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium on the 20th, which will be his Shandong debut match.
Shandong is currently in a crisis situation. Former coach Hao Wei and some players are accused of match fixing. Son Jun-ho, a disciple of director Choi Kang-hee during his Jeonbuk Hyundai days, was arrested and detained by the Chinese police on charges of bribery.
In addition, the team’s performance also went down. Shandong finished second in the Chinese Super League last year, but this season is only 11th with 1 win, 4 draws and 7 points. Shandong is trying to overcome the difficult situation of the club by putting the rich crisis management ability of head coach Choi Kang-hee at the forefront.