October 2017 was a sad month for Korean fans as Cho Jin-ho one of South Korea’s best managers, passed away at the age of 44.
The three teams Cho Jin-ho managed were not highly-ranked sides; Daejeon Citizen and Busan I’Park played in the K League Challenge while Sangju Sangmu, the country’s military team, can often be found at the bottom of the Classic’s split format. Yet his leadership shined through under such adversity.
Cho’s 2014 Daejeon recorded 20 victories in one season for the first time in the club history, leading them to first place in the Challenge and promotion. In 2016, Sangju became the first military team to participate in the top of the Classic’s split, finishing the season in sixth place. He was successful at Busan I’Park as well, leading the team to this year’s K League promotion play-off as well as the semi-final of FA Cup.
Following his death from a sudden heart attack, Busan managed to defeat Suwon Bluewings and reach the FA Cup final. According to acting manager Lee Seung-yub, that win came thanks the Cho’s analysis of Busan’s opponents. The loss of his ability and potential at such a young age is a sad one for both the Korean football community and Asian football at large.
