Singaporean coach Satyasagara happy to take on toughest test yet in Cambodian top flight

SINGAPORE – When Singaporean Satyasagara started out as a youth coach with Sembawang Rangers in 1997, little did he imagine it would lead him to ply his trade on foreign soil.

In January, the 60-year-old, who goes by one name, embarked on his fourth stint in a fourth Asian country outside Singapore after signing a five-month deal to take charge of Cambodian Premier League side Kirivong Sok Sen Chey.

Formerly known as K. Balagumaran, Satyasagara is the second Singaporean in Cambodian football –

former Hougang United coach Clement Teo

is the technical director at another Cambodian Premier League team, Boeung Ket.

The holder of an AFC Pro Diploma, the highest level of coaching accreditation by the Asian Football Confederation, said: “When I started out as a coach, I never had a dream or desire to coach outside of Singapore.

“At most, I wanted to be a national youth coach, which I got to do later on as coach of the National Football Academy Under-16 team.

“But life has taken me to these places and I am very grateful for it because my experiences in these countries have been very rewarding.

“I have enjoyed some priceless memories helping the footballers and young coaches abroad.”

Previously coach of the women’s national team and Hougang in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), Satyasagara started his foreign sojourn in Malaysia as an assistant coach under Singapore football icon V. Sundramoorthy at Negeri Sembilan in 2014.

In 2018, he joined as an assistant to compatriot Akbar Nawas, who led India’s I-League club Chennai City to the 2018-19 title.

He took over the reins after Akbar left by mutual consent in 2020 before moving to Laos. There, he masterminded two unbeaten seasons with the Young Elephants, who claimed the Lao League 1 and cup double in 2022 and another league title in 2023.

His fourth foreign foray has already been branded as his toughest assignment yet, as Kirivong Sok Sen Chey, based in Takeo province – over 60km from the capital Phnom Penh – are bottom of the 11-team league with just two points from 17 matches this season.

On Jan 19, just two days after arriving in Cambodia, he saw his new team go down 2-1 at home to Dangkor Senchey in his first game in charge.

Satyasagara said: “The morale is not good but we are adding some foreign players and hopefully I can help the players to do their best.

“The focus will be on improving the players’ tactical understanding of the game.

“They are aggressive and mentally strong, so there are good points to work with.”

While there is no risk of relegation, Satyasagara is hopeful that his side can earn more points and avoid the wooden spoon, with three matches remaining in the regular season. After that, the league is split into two groups comprising the top six and bottom five teams, with another two rounds of games.

“We want to try and get some points and hopefully we can get the first win soon,” he said.

“The management wants better performances from the team and I hope to help them achieve that and maybe, if they are happy with the work I do, we can continue for another season.”

The Singaporean is also looking beyond just points.

He said: “The reality is that a lot of my players are very young and they have ambitions to some day represent the national team.

“If I can help them to produce some good performances and some of them go on to be snapped up by the bigger clubs in the country and some day become national players, then I will sleep very peacefully.”

Teo, the former SPL Coach of the Year with Hougang, is confident Satyasagara’s experiences in the region will serve him well.

He said of his compatriot: “He already understands the culture in this part of South-east Asia and he would have faced his fair share of challenges when he was in Laos.”

Teo, the former coach of Boeung Ket in 2023 before being redesignated as their technical director a year later, also encouraged more coaches to leave their comfort zone and take up roles outside Singapore.

“Over here, there are still some things that are different from other (countries). For example, there is no real attention to sports science, and it can be a challenge trying to make fellow coaches, especially the older ones, understand it.

“There will be challenges every day, but you have to see them as opportunities to get things done.”