The Korea Football Association (KFA) has named several current K League coaches as candidates to lead the South Korean national soccer team. Among them is Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo (54), who led the team to back-to-back K League 1 titles. Ulsan fans reacted strongly to the news.
Ulsan supporter ‘Cheryong Warrior’ wrote on social media on the 22nd, “We express our strong regret over the decision of the Korea Football Association to select the ‘K League active managers’ representative team,’ which was reported in various media,” and pointed out that “the KFA does not feel any responsibility for the recent events in Korean football and is trying to avoid responsibility by using K League managers as a shield.”
“The KFA did not take responsibility for the crisis in Korean soccer during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and instead of offering solutions in a responsible manner, the KFA used Choi Kang-hee, the current head coach of the K League, as a shield to superficially solve the problem,” said Chae Yong-won. “As a result, the K League and Korean soccer fans were deeply hurt. And now, the association is repeating the mistakes of the past and trying to scar 안전카지노사이트 K League fans once again,” he said.
“Cheryong Warriors strongly condemns the appointment of all active K League managers, including Hong Myung-bo, and we hope that the KFA will no longer repeat the mistake of using K League managers as a shield to avoid their own mistakes and resolve this situation with a heavy sense of responsibility and vigilance.”
The KFA sacked coach Jürgen Klinsmann on Nov. 16 after a poor performance and controversy over his work behavior. Klinsmann, who took over the reins in January of last year, left the Korean soccer organization after just one year. Klinsmann’s record in one year was 8 wins, 6 draws, and 3 losses. During his tenure, Klinsmann was embroiled in a foreign oil controversy as he traveled abroad instead of staying in Korea, and after a poor performance in an exhibition match against Wales in September last year, he demanded the opponent’s jersey.
Most notably, the team’s poor showing at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar sparked criticism. South Korea drew a shocking 3-3 draw with a much-improved Malaysia in the group stage and lost 0-2 to Jordan in the quarterfinals. In the end, their dream of reaching the top of the Asian stage 64 years after their 1960 victory was dashed. Klinsmann was also dismissed in disgrace.
The Football Association has moved quickly to find its next manager. But the pace may be too fast. The search for a new head coach is centered around new chairman Chung Jung-sung, who was appointed to replace Michael Muller (Germany). The first meeting of the Power Enhancement Committee was held on March 21st. At the meeting, Chung laid out the big picture. “We are emphasizing formal supervision rather than an interim system, and domestic supervision rather than foreign supervision,” he said. The second meeting will be held on May 25 to select a commander-in-chief candidate and then conduct interviews with the candidates.
Chung cited the upcoming two-game series against Thailand in March for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup qualifiers as a reason for the quick appointment. However, the lack of time to choose a coach has narrowed the field of candidates. In addition to Hong Myung-bo, FC Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong, Jeju United coach Kim Hak-beom, U-23 coach Hwang Sun-hong, and former Gangwon FC coach Choi Yong-soo have been mentioned. However, for K-League managers, it’s an overwhelming and embarrassing position. The K League starts in March. In the case of Kim Ki-dong and Kim Hak-beom, they are new managers who have just taken the helm of their respective teams. They haven’t even made their debut. They don’t even know their teams yet, so they have to work even harder to prepare for the new season. The same goes for Hong Myung-bo, who is looking to win his third straight K League 1 title.
Both Hong Myung-bo and Kim Ki-dong were cautious about being mentioned as national team managers. The former said, “I don’t know anything about it.” The latter said, “I don’t know anything about it. “The team comes first,” Kim said.
However, after the two games in Thailand, the next A match is in June, so there is plenty of time. There’s a little more time to get in touch with various coaching candidates, and there’s no reason to insist on a ‘formalized coaching system’ given Thailand’s lack of objective strength compared to Korea.
Many overseas managers have expressed interest in coaching the Korean national team. Steve Bruce, who has managed a number of English Premier League clubs, and Dutch legend Philip Cocu have been reported to be interested in the job. There are also names of coaches who have had good careers until recently. Hervé Renard, the head coach of the French women’s national soccer team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Shenol Guinness, the former head coach of K League clubs FC Seoul and Turkkiye, have been linked to Korea.
The following is a statement from Cheo Yong Warriors
- Cheryong Warriors expresses its strong disappointment with the decision of the Korea Football Association to appoint the head coach of the K League National Team, as reported by various media.
The KFA does not feel any responsibility for the recent events in Korean soccer and is trying to avoid responsibility by using the K League manager as a shield.
- The KFA did not take responsibility for the crisis in Korean soccer during the preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and did not propose a solution in a responsible manner, but instead used Choi Kang-hee, the current head coach of the K League, as a shield to superficially solve the problem, which left a deep wound on Korean soccer fans, including those in the K League.
And now, the association is trying to repeat the mistakes of the past and scar K League fans once again.
- The Churyong Warriors strongly condemn the appointment of all active K League coaches, including Hong Myung-bo, and will spare no effort to defend them. The K League is no longer the sole preserve of the federation and is the result of the hard work of fans, players, clubs, and managers.
We hope that the association will no longer repeat the mistake of using the K League manager as a shield to avoid its own misdeeds, but will resolve this situation with a heavy sense of responsibility and vigilance.
In addition, the Cheryong Warriors demand that the entire discussion on the appointment of the league’s active head coach be nullified, and we declare that we will not hesitate to take any collective action to achieve this.