Former Visakha FC head coach Jurgis Kalns watches the side during an earlier Cambodian Premier League match. Visakha FC
The Visakha Football Club held an urgent press conference on Monday, February 3, to clarify the reasons behind the departure of coach Jurgis Kalns. The Latvian national, who signed a June 2024 contract with the club, departed halfway through the 2024-2025 Cambodian Premier League (CPL) season.
The January 31 announcement of his departure from the club raised suspicions among many supporters about the true reason for the premature ending of the contract, especially as the 42-year-old coach had been performing well with the team.Visakha’s general manager, Ou Panhasoketya, fronted the press conference in person.
“We all know that Visakha is a club that frequently changes coaches. This is a fact, but there are different circumstances this time. The separation with coach Kalns was not something the club wanted, as he was a coach who led the team to excellent results. The decision was entirely his,” she explained.
She added that the separation wasn’t a sudden decision, and was not directly related to the results of the club’s most recent match, when Visakha lost 4-2 to ISI Dangkosennchey on January 25.
“In fact, the idea of Kalns wanting to leave had already come up once or twice. The club tried to accommodate him to prevent it from affecting other matters. It was not the club’s decision to dismiss him. It was his decision to leave,” she emphasises.
She also addressed rumours that his decision to leave was due to interference with his coaching technique, strongly rejecting those claims.
“I guarantee that we did not interfere in his technical work! Everything related to player selection or substitutions is entirely up to the coach. The results, whether good or bad, are also dependent on the coach's decisions,” she clarified.
Visakha FC (in white) lost 4-2 to ISI Dangkao Senchey in coach Kalns’ last match on January 25. Visakha FC
The real reason for the departure, according to Panhasoketya, was that he had expressed dissatisfaction with the CPL’s level, feeling it did not meet the standards of the leagues he had previously worked in, making his job difficult.
Additionally, issues such as pre-match arrangements, post-match routines and other match-related results also played a role in his decision to leave, he added.
Another major factor was that Kalns and his team wanted to return to their home country to be closer to their families, as travelling back and forth had been difficult.
Visakha general manager, Ou Panhasoketya, explains the coach’s seemingly sudden departure at a February 3 press conference. Visakha FC
“The primary reason for his departure was that things were not as he had experienced before. All the coaches have families, but his family couldn’t relocate to live with us, and the constant need to travel by plane to see his family was difficult – another factor in his decision to leave,” she clarified.
Under Kalns’ leadership, Visakha created a record of eight consecutive wins out of his 18 matches in charge, with 12 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses. After leaving Visakha, Kalns is expected to sign with FK Auda, a top-tier Latvian club, in his home country.
Visakha has appointed Nigerian Tunji Ayoyinka Akeeb as interim head coach.
The club currently stands in 3rd place in the CPL rankings, with 41 points, behind Phnom Penh Crown, on 47, and current title holders Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, on 46.
