Oleg Starynskyi celebrates with Phnom Penh Crown as they lift the 2025 Hun Sen Cup. The club are now looking for new foreign players. Crown FC
Phnom Penh Crown head coach Oleg Starynskyi has confirmed that he and the club's management are actively searching for high-calibre foreign players from top leagues to strengthen the team for the 2025/2026 season. However, he emphasised that they will not be players who previously played for the club.
He revealed that former standout striker Shintaro Shimizu of Japan, along with several other foreign players who previously played for Phnom Penh Crown — including Japanese-Cambodian players Takaki Ose and Yudai Ogawa, Colombian-Cambodian attacking midfielder Nieto Rondon, and forwards Jelle Goselink, Ibeh Ofufu and Javier Gayoso — will not be returning.
“I’ve already said four or five times in press conferences that Shintaro will not return. The same goes for the other former players. We are bringing in new players from strong leagues, with strong abilities who will help the team grow and share their knowledge with Cambodian players,” said the Ukrainian coach.
Starynskyi, who led Crown to two Cambodian Premier League (CPL) titles (in 2021 and 2022) and recently won the 2025 Hun Sen Cup, suggested that it’s time for positive changes within the club.
“We need new energy, fresh blood in the team so that we can push for more trophies. These changes are part of our vision to add even more quality,” he said.
Japanese striker Shintaro Shimizu (red) plays for Phnom Penh Crown in the 2023-2024 season. He will not be returning to the club. Crown FC
“Right now, we are selecting players based on our philosophy and the quality standard of the team. Our goal is to win more trophies and achieve greater success on the international stage. The team is working on this, so fans don’t need to worry about the changes,” he added.
So far, the club has ended contracts with six foreign players, retaining only South Korean defender Yi Young Park, who has signed a one-year contract extension.
The club must recruit more foreign players to prepare for the upcoming season — particularly for the 2025/2026 AFC Challenge League, in which Phnom Penh Crown will face Brunei champions Kasuka FC in the qualifiers on August 12.
Although Crown only secured a spot in the qualifiers for the AFC league (unlike CPL champions Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, who automatically advance to the group stage), Starynskyi described the opportunity as a positive development for both the club and Cambodia, since Phnom Penh Crown will once again represent the nation internationally.
“Honestly, at first we didn’t expect to get this spot. But at the end of the season, we received this news due to adjustments — and it’s really great. Everyone is excited and looking forward to this tournament,” he said.
South Korean defender Yi Young Park (left) plays alongside Nieto Rondon and Yudai Ogawa for Phnom Penh Crown. Crown FC
“We’re very happy, and we’re going to prepare the team for the qualifiers. Our goal is to reach the group stage — so it will be a strong competition. We’ll prepare the squad, the players, the tactics, and everything needed to get a good result,” he added.
