SINGAPORE – When Satyasagara moved to Vientiane to take charge of Lao League 1 side Young Elephants in March 2022, he could not speak the local language and needed help communicating with his players.
But football and hard work are universal languages, it seems. Under the veteran Singaporean coach (formerly known as K. Balagumaran), the club won the 2022 league championship, going unbeaten with 13 wins and five draws. It was their maiden domestic title and proving it was no fluke, the Young Elephants again went unbeaten in the 2023 season to claim back-to-back championships.
They finished with 12 wins and two draws, their tally of 38 points was 10 clear of runners-up Master 7, who they beat 1-0 in the final game of the campaign on July 2. They are also involved in continental action and face Phnom Penh Crown on Aug 16 in the preliminary round 2 of the 2023-24 AFC Cup.
Attributing the title triumph to a collective team effort, Satyasagara, 59, said: “I’m really proud of the players for their sacrifice and the hard work they’ve put in to win the league again for the second year. They were willing to learn and had a lot of respect, and that was the key from the team.”
The former head coach of Hougang United in the Singapore Premier League and Indian Super League club Chennai City said he was excited at the chance to work in Laos.
He added: ”I just wanted to experience the culture and how football is like in Laos, so I told myself why not give it a shot?”
He initially needed some help getting his message across to the team but had plenty of volunteers.
“I was lucky enough to have an interpreter to translate for me and I had five local players who could speak decent English as well. So I actually had many interpreters,” he said.
“The players were very accepting, so that helped me to understand their culture as well.”
He has picked up more than a few phrases and can hold simple conversations with his footballers. He said: “For me, my coaching philosophy is more than just how your team plays. It should also include the values and beliefs that guide your interactions, relationships and decision-making. To me, that includes putting in the time and effort to learn my players’ language.”
The Young Elephants were founded in 2015 by the Lao Football Federation (LFF) to give exposure to young local players and aid their professional careers.
But in 2017, the LFF gave up ownership of the club due to rules around club licensing and privatisation, and approached Singaporean entrepreneur Jason Lim, who had been based in the country for many years, to take over. He has been president and chairman since 2018.
That year was the club’s inaugural season in the then-Lao Premier League and they finished sixth in the eight-team league. In 2020, they won their first domestic trophy, the Lao FF Cup. They also won the same competition in 2022.
Lim, who has spent close to $1 million since taking over the club, praised the work of Satyasagara. He noted: “The coach has definitely made a huge impact on the club through his training programme and how he manages the staff and players.”
Satyasagara’s deep bond with his players is evident, even those who have left like Bounphachan Bounkong. The attacking midfielder, 22, joined Cambodian Premier League side Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng earlier in 2023.
Satyasagara said proudly: “He’s the first Laotian to play in their top division.”
On instilling a strong spirit in the locker room, he added: “My unique strength is knowing the players and really going down to their level rather than telling them ‘I’m the coach, you’re the player, you need to listen to me’. It’s a lot of being a mentor to them because these players need a lot of motivation.”
