Former Kelantan boss Popov returns to Thailand with Sisaket FC

BY        ZULHILMI ZAINAL       Follow on Twitter

Former Kelantan and Maldives head coach Velizar Popov has returned to Thailand, following his appointment as the Thai Premier League club head coach.

The Bulgarian trainer announced the news on his social media on Wednesday evening.

The Dangerous Koupreys are based in the Sisaket province of Thailand, and finished 13th in the league last season. In 2015 they came the closest to winning a major title, finishing runners up in the Thai League Cup.

Popov last coached in Thailand in 2014, with Suphanburi FC before leaving to take up the Maldives national team head coach post in 2015.

Popov then joined Kelantan mid-way through the 2016 Malaysia Super League season, overturning the Red Warriors' poor performance and guiding them to a fourth-place finish in the league, and the quarter-final stage of the 2016 Malaysia Cup.

However he left the Kota Bharu-based side at the end of the season, after the club could not meet his requirements for a contract extension.