Kang and his two Korean booters were sacked last week by Moha-mmedan's executive committee after the popular club's elimination from the Independence Day Gold Cup.

Kang, who coached Mohamme-dan to the league championship back in 1997, however, thinks that he alone is not responsible for Black and Whites poor performance.

The 44-year-old, who also coached the Bangladesh national team in 1995 and Muktijoddha Sangsad in the same year, believed that indiscipline in the camp and a lack of communication between coach and club officials were the main reasons why the team bowed out in the semifinals.

"We have a very weak team and how would one inspire them to become champions in the first tournament of the season?" Kang exclaimed while talking to The Daily Star Sport at a local restaurant in Banani yesterday.

"I met the club officials last night after receiving notice of my sacking and told them about the problems I had during the last four months. It seemed that many of them had no idea about this situation. They have told me to wait for an official decision from the club president on my future," said Kang, whose one-year contract earns him 3,500 dollars-a-month.

Mohammedan officials had earlier complained that the South Korean did not use proper players in different positions. The club also said they had given him a strong team to work with, a claim Kang rejected.

"We have only three or four quality players. The others are inexperienced and below par. There was no way I could have realised this before the tournament began.

"Now it's clear to me what we need and how to run the show. But they did not even give me the chance to make amends. I have also made some mistakes," he admitted.

"For example, I used Nazrul as a sweeper back but he was not properly equipped to play in that position. So, I had to field Faisal Mahmud as a leftback and a young player on the right of the defence. I had no other choice since they did not recruit any fullbacks apart from Hassan, who was in central defence.

"The midfield is also full of makeshift players which failed to cope with the pressure because of a vulnerable backline.

"I feel that Alfaz, the captain, is not also giving his best. He had no interaction with his teammates and only comes once in a while for practice sessions. In short, he failed to lead the team.

"We have played 15 matches so far in four months including warm-up games and Alfaz has scored just one goal," complained Kang.

"In the absence of discipline, the other players stayed out late. I informed our manager (Amirul Islam) about this but he did not take any steps."

Kang also defended one of his two Korean footballers.

"The club has complained they are sub-standard players. I believe midfielder Kim Tae Young is an excellent player but he did not perform well as he was under pressure.

"Like me, Tae Young did not get any salary from the club for the past two months. According to our contract, we have to arrange our own food. He just did not have the money to have a decent meal. He is a pro and plays for money. He was not only anxious but also had physical problems during the last days," said Kang, who also coached Hong Kong national team in 1996.

"I also did not receive the money for my fuel bill which is Tk 18,000," said Kang who had to borrow money from his compatriots living in Dhaka to undergo surgery on his head just before the Independence day Gold Cup.

He, however, mentioned that the club later paid the hospital bills.

"I am surprised to see that not a single official has ever showed any interest to know how we have been living here."

When asked about the other Korean recruit, Kim Jae Woo, Kang said that he agreed that the striker was not a good choice.

"Mohammedan can recruit any foreign player they want but they need to improve things at home. Otherwise, they can't get what they want.

A Mohammedan official seeking anonymity said that Kang proved a point.

"Kang made some mistakes and he has showed the courage to admit. The complaints he has raised are quite serious. He repeatedly told the club officials about these problems but no one paid any heed to them. I think it should have not gone that far," he opined.

It was confirmed that Mohammedan would consider the proposition to keep Kang but not the Korean booters. In that case the club will have to suffer financial loss by paying a full year's salary to Tae Young.

Mohammedan made a bright start in the Independence Gold Cup but struggled to beat Sheikh Russel KC 4-3 before crashing 3-1 to Muktijoddha in the group stages. They were eliminated 1-0 by Brothers Union in the semis.