Mark Jackson Will Take Charge of Lion City Sailors for the First Time Against BG Pathum United at Jalan Besar
The Australian coach only received his work visa this week, and he faces a Thai side led by Chanathip Songkrasin and strengthened by several new signings.
Lion City Sailors will host BG Pathum United at Jalan Besar Stadium at 6pm Singapore time on 17 September 2026 in their opening AFC Champions League Two group match. It will be Mark Jackson's first competitive game in charge of the Singapore club.
Jackson was cleared to work only after his work visa was approved this week. "It's great for me to finally get on the pitch to work with the players yesterday after I got cleared for my work visa," he told the club website, adding that the energy from the squad had been superb. He described BG Pathum as a very organised team with good players and a distinct playing style.
The Australian won the 2023/24 AFC Cup with Central Coast Mariners and later coached Buriram United, guiding the Thai club to the ACL Elite quarter-finals last season. He faced BG Pathum in pre-season while at Buriram, according to Little Big Red Dot.
BG Pathum qualified by finishing fourth in Thai League 1. They have added Ryan Edwards, Anthony Belmonte, Fabio Kaufmann and Brazilian striker Joao Magno, while captain Sarach Yooyen and Chanathip Songkrasin remain in the squad. Sailors captain Hariss Harun said the team must push themselves to go further after reaching the final two seasons ago.
The group also includes Adelaide United and Hong Kong club Tai Po. The Sailors' next match is away to Tai Po at Mong Kok Stadium on 15 October 2026.