SEOUL– Daegu FC announced their hiring of Brazilian tactician Alexandre Gama as their new head coach Wednesday, two days after parting ways with the previous boss following the most successful season in club history.
Gama, 53, is taking over from Lee Byung-geun, who was not brought back by Daegu FC after guiding the K League 1 club to third place in 2021. Terms of Gama’s deal were not disclosed.
Gama served as an assistant coach on the South Korean men’s senior national team in 2011. Before that, he’d been an assistant coach with another K League club, Gyeongnam FC.
Gama cut his coaching teeth on the youth level with the Brazilian club Fluminense in 2002. He then spent a bulk of his managerial career in Thailand, where he coached three different clubs, as well as the men’s under-21 and under-23 national teams. Most recently, he was at the helm of Buriram United from October last year to November this year in his second tour of duty with the Thai club.
Gama won 12 trophies while in Thailand, and Daegu FC said Gama’s championship experience should bring “positive changes” to Daegu.
Daegu FC finished the 2021 K League 1 season in third place, their best performance in the top flight. By doing so, they also secured a playoff berth at next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
And at this year’s AFC Champions League, Daegu made it to the round of 16, their first trip to the knockout stage of the annual continental competition.
Daegu also finished runners-up to Jeonnam Dragons at the FA Cup earlier this month.
The club said Gama will travel to South Korea as soon as his work visa is sorted out. Daegu FC will open their offseason training camp in early January in Namhae, about 500 kilometers south of Seoul in South Gyeongsang Province.
Source: Yonhap News Agency