Will Hong Myung-bo, who returned after 10 years, be able to quell criticism through his first game?
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play the first round of the Asian qualifying round for the ‘2026 FIFA North-China World Cup’ against Palestine at 8 p.m. on the 5th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Hong will replace Jurgen Klinsmann to lead the national team. It has been 10 years since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. However, Hong’s return to the national team has not received much support.
First of all, the five-month process of appointing a coach did not go smoothly. When Jeong Hae-sung, chairman of the Korea Electric Power Reinforcement Committee, resigned, it collapsed with the former committee. As the process was shaken, difficulties continued in appointing a coach, and Lee Im-saeng, general director of the technical headquarters, finally chose Hong among the two foreign coaches and Hong directors.
Unlike the other two foreign coaches, Hong did not have an interview, sparking a controversy over preferential treatment. In addition, Hong was branded as a “traitor” to Ulsan fans and K-League fans as he left Ulsan HD during the season despite repeatedly refusing to take the helm. 안전놀이터
As the impact continued, even the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stepped up. The ministry conducted an audit on Hong’s appointment. The National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee decided to adopt witnesses related to the Korea Football Association at a general meeting on Tuesday, and plans to summon them for questioning on pending issues on Wednesday. Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, Hong and Lee are included in the list of witnesses.
Interest in the first match against Palestine is growing more than ever. As Palestine is considered a lower level, fans’ distrust of Hong Myung-bo will continue unless it takes care of either its performance or results.
Hong stressed that winning is the top priority. “Many people will have high expectations for the first match,” Hong told an official press conference before the match. Of course, we will prepare to score more points, but our focus is basically on winning. Winning the first match is important.” Captain Son Heung-min, who also participated in the press conference, also said, “The most important thing is to win. I want to start the final qualifying round with a good result.”