Tsutomu Ogura resigned as head coach of the Singapore national football team due to personal reasons, said the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Tuesday (Jun 24).
This leaves Singapore for its fourth national coach in six years and they are on the hunt of a new coach after it was announced on Tuesday that Tsutomu Ogura would be leaving the job after just 16 months at the helm.
Meanwhile, FAS has already appointed the former head coach of BG Tampines Rovers Gavin Lee as the interim replacement of Tsutomo Ogura, unmder whome Singapore defeated Bangladesh by 2-1 in their awaymatch in Dhaka in the ongoing Asia Cup qualifiers on June 10.
Ogura, who was appointed more than a year ago, informed FAS of his decision several weeks ago as he needed to return to Japan for "pressing personal matters".
"Since then, the FAS executive committee has been in close consultation with Mr Ogura to explore various avenues to facilitate his continued tenure," said an official statement of FAS.
"Despite collective efforts and a mutual desire to sustain the working relationship, the nature of the personal issues involved ultimately made it untenable for him to continue," said FAS.
"The FAS respects Mr. Ogura's decision and extends its sincere appreciation for his professionalism, commitment, and contribution to Singapore football during his time at the helm," FAS revealed.
The timing of Ogura's departure is hardly ideal given the Lions are in the middle of their 2027 AFC Asian Cuo Qualifying campaign, having picked up four points from their opening two games with only the top team in the group advancing to the tournament.
Ogura did receive plaudits for leading Singapore back to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship at the end of last year after they missed out in 2022, although he also had his fair share of disappointing results.
