BG officially announced the dismissal of Ishii; the club's first Thai player reacted immediately, and a new coach has been appointed.
On 9 February 2026, BG Pathum United officially announced the separation from Japanese coach Masatada Ishii after being eliminated from three cup competitions: the AFC Champions League 2 (ACL 2), the Chang FA Cup, and the ASEAN Club Championship (Shopee Cup).
The "The Rabbit" club stated, "BG Pathum United would like to thank Masatada Ishii, the team's head coach, for his dedication to the club during his tenure, and we wish him good luck and success in his future endeavors."
"Masatada Ishii, the Japanese coach, took charge of The Rabbit team in October 2025 before BG Pathum United announced their mutual agreement to part ways with him. The club thanks him for his dedication throughout his time and wishes him the best of luck going forward."
Recently, Chanathip Songkrasin, the Thai national team player, became the first BG Pathum United player to respond by posting a farewell message to Masatada Ishii on his personal social media. Having worked together both in the national team and club, he wrote, "Thank you very much, Coach. Football is a small world; maybe we'll meet again. Wishing you the best of luck, Coach."
At the same time, BG Pathum United announced the immediate appointment of Vladimir Vujovic as the new head coach.
Vladimir Vujovic began his coaching career with PSIM Yogyakarta in Indonesia in 2019 before managing teams in Lebanon, including Salam Zgharta and Racing Club Beirut in 2021 and 2023, respectively. In 2025, he took over FK Abdish-Ata Kant in Kyrgyzstan.
Just before the 2025/26 season started, Vladimir Vujovic joined BG Pathum United as an assistant coach. He was given the interim head coach role in October and has now been officially unveiled as the new head coach of BG Pathum United.
