Coach Hong Myung-bo was not welcomed by anyone. When he showed up at the departure hall for Oman, fans responded with a cold silence.
The Korean national team came to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on Wednesday to leave Oman for the second round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup. After the first home match against the Palestinians, the team stayed at a hotel near Incheon and appeared at Incheon International Airport at around 11 p.m. to catch a flight to Oman.
Fans, who knew earlier that the bus would pass from Doha, Qatar, gathered at the gate near the flight to Doha. However, they hurriedly moved to the other side after learning that the national team would pass the bus. When the bus arrived, the coach said, “Here it is” and passed by the side where the fans gathered first.
When Hong Myung-bo passed the coach, the reaction of his fans was static for an instant. He didn’t say anything special or criticize Hong, but his “moment silence” represented everything. In the match against Palestine, which was the first match since the inauguration of the national team, Hong had to be booed by 50,000 spectators, even though it was his home team.
After the successful World Cup Round of 16, Jurgen Klinsmann’s festering administration spread from the appointment of coach to the appointment of Hong Myung-bo. After the controversy over working from home and elimination from the Asian Cup, he tried to appoint the next coach by setting up a new power reinforcement committee, but it took five months, and in the end, it was not the coach that fans expected, but Hong Myung-bo. The fact that the process was decided as “Eupso,” the general director of Lee Im-saeng, sparked criticism.
The appointment of a foreign coach was not neat, either. As if he was well aware of the criticism, Hong expressed his determination to repay the criticism with his performance in the match against Palestine. However, he opened the lid and ended up with a 0-0 draw at home against Palestine, which was ranked 96th in the FIFA rankings, due to lack of preparedness and poor preparation for the match.
After Coach Hong Myung-bo passed, the national team players came in one by one. Fans, who kept a cold silence on Coach Hong Myung-bo, cheered and asked for autographs as their voices burst as the national team players passed by. Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min, who came out a little later, gave autographs to each of the fans as much as possible, providing fan service in tired and difficult situations. 먹튀검증
The Korean national soccer team will arrive in Muscat, Oman on Saturday via Doha, Qatar. After flying for a long time of at least 14 hours, the team should prepare for the second match of the final preliminary match against Oman on Saturday, when its travelog has yet to be resolved. It is not an easy situation. Whether Coach Hong Myung-bo will be able to overcome his sluggish performance in the match against Palestine or not, soccer fans are paying keen attention to the upcoming match at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman.