Myanmar appoints Norwegian Yoon Andersen as national team head coach

The Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) announced on Thursday that it has appointed former North Korea coach Yoon Andersen to lead the national team. Andersen, a 63-year-old Norwegian who also coached Hong Kong, signed a two-year contract on Wednesday, the federation said. "I am happy to be in Myanmar," Andersen told a press conference on Wednesday. "I will strive to develop Myanmar players and for the national team to be as successful as possible." The MFF said it appointed Andersen in "recognition of his special familiarity with Asian football, his international coaching experience, and his ability to build a team." His North Korea team won eight of their 14 matches and qualified for the 2019 Asian Cup. Andersen was also the first foreign head coach of the internationally isolated North Korea. Myanmar has been suffering from civil war since the military coup in 2021, which overthrew the elected government of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and ended a decade of democratic opening. Andersen was also credited with leading Hong Kong to the Asian Cup finals for the first time in over five decades in 2023. As a former international striker, Andersen was the top scorer for German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt. Andersen will now replace former national player Myo Hlaing Win, who had been coaching the Myanmar team since 2024. The Myanmar national team is currently ranked 158th in the FIFA world rankings, and has previously been coached by German nationals Anton Hey and Michael Feichtenbeiner.