SINGAPORE – As clinical as the Albirex Niigata sides he has coached, Kazuaki Yoshinaga lifted a record fourth Coach of the Year award to match his fourth Singapore Premier League (SPL) title he won with the Japanese club in August.
At the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Awards Night at the Orchard Hotel on Nov 23, the 55-year-old Japanese was feted again after winning the gong in 2017, 2018 and 2022 when he also led the White Swans to league titles. He is tied with Richard Bok as the most successful SPL coach but has one more individual accolade.
However, at least for the near future, he may not get the chance to overtake Bok with a fifth league title, as The Straits Times has learnt that the FAS has been in touch with him and his club, and other candidates, over the national coach position.
Yoshinaga said: “As a supporter of Singapore football, I always watch the national team games, and I’ve been working hard to improve Singapore football for five seasons (he was Albirex’s technical director in 2021).
“It (the Lions coach job) is a fantastic opportunity, and if I have a chance, it’s certainly something I would consider.”
His two-year contract with Albirex runs out at the end of 2023, but he is savouring his latest milestone.
He said: “I feel really fortunate. Despite the difficulty of having different players and teams and starting from scratch every season, I’ve been working for a fantastic club where I have met great players.”
In 2022, the FAS was keen to hire Yoshinaga as national coach, but he had signed a two-year contract with Albirex, who wanted to keep him until the end of that season and did. It proved to be a masterstroke as he delivered back-to-back league titles.
The FAS went on to hire Takayuki Nishigaya on a two-year contract in April 2022 to replace Tatsuma Yoshida, who jumped ship to Ventforet Kofu.
While Nishigaya has a respectable record of eight wins, five draws and eight losses, he has never quite won over the hearts of the local supporters the way his predecessor did.
Despite having an inferior record of six wins, four draws and 10 losses, observers felt that the Yoshida managed to instil more of a playing identity and purpose on the pitch as the Lions made it to the AFF Championship semi-finals for the first time since 2012, before suffering a hard-luck defeat by Indonesia in 2021.
Under Nishigaya, Singapore crashed out at the group stage in the following edition with a humbling 4-1 loss to Malaysia in January.
Speculation over Singapore football’s top job has mounted after the Lions’ 3-1 loss to Thailand in a World Cup qualifier on Nov 21, when Nishigaya said post-match: “I don’t know if I will be in charge in March, but I’m fully committed if I am.”
While Yoshinaga also does not have previous international coaching experience, with only J.League stints accompanying his Albirex exploits, he is seen by the FAS as a potential candidate for the Lions post as he has intimate knowledge of the local scene and has had experience coaching national players such as Hassan Sunny and Ilhan Fandi in recent seasons.
Albirex chairman Daisuke Korenaga was coy about recent developments, and would only say: “We want to continue to contribute to Singapore football.”
