Jurgen Klinsmann and Herzok are emphasizing “I don’t know.” The Korea Football Association (KFA) needs a thorough fact-finding mission.
Former coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in an interview with German newsweekly Spiegel on the 18th (Korea time) that he “breathed the spirit of never giving up into the Korean national team” while looking back on the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
“In particular, the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia and the quarterfinals against Australia was a drama,” former coach Klinsmann said.
To make matters worse, former coach Klinsmann explained, “In terms of sports, the Asian Cup was a successful result.”
The coach is not the only one who had special thoughts. “After performing well in the Asian Cup, I thought that Klinsmann and I would continue to do well in Korea,” Andreas Herzog, a senior coach who was also with him in Korea as his right arm, wrote in an op-ed for the Austrian media Kronen Zeitung. “We achieved our goal in terms of sports so that we could go all the way to the World Cup in North and Central America,” he said. “President Chung Mong-gyu also continued to support us, but we had no choice but to give in under strong pressure.”
The team singled out players as the reason for their failure to win the championship. The team had a physical fight with Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (PSG) over table tennis before the semifinal match against Jordan.
Korea, led by Klinsmann, was eliminated from the semifinals of the Qatar Asian Cup. In the semifinals, they met Jordan, who was already close to the group stage, but lost 0-2. At that time, Korea’s FIFA ranking was 23rd and Jordan 87th, which was all the more disappointing.
In addition, the clash between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in was known before the semifinal Jordan match.
The Sun reported, “Son Heung-min suffered a fractured finger while having a physical fight with his teammates of the Korean national team.”
Son Heung-min is said to have expressed dissatisfaction with some young players leaving after dinner quickly to play table tennis the day before the semifinals.
It seemed bad for the captain to take individual actions at a time when team solidarity was important. This led to an argument and when an angry Son Heung-min grabbed Lee Kang-in by the collar, Lee Kang-in immediately fought back, causing an accident.
Some people wonder that Son Heung-min, who always smiles, had a quarrel with his younger brother by 9 years.
However, former coach Herzok did not manage the players’ war of nerves and sat on the sidelines, but he and Klinsmann clearly made achievements and pointed out that the players were the problem.
“The emotional battle between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in at a restaurant ahead of the semifinal affected the outcome,” former coach Herzok said. “No one expected that top stars Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in would have a generational conflict,” adding, “It was a battle that affected the team’s spirit. I’ve never seen such a scene in a place other than a training ground like a restaurant. The painstaking part for months collapsed in just a few minutes.”
After all, Klinsmann, who took the helm last year, left the Korean soccer team less than a year ago. Klinsmann’s contract period is until the 2026 North-Central American World Cup. Klinsmann also had a disgraceful record of being the fastest coach to be dismissed since the Korean soccer introduced a full-time coach system in 1992. Klinsmann has displayed eight wins, six draws and three losses throughout the year.
Shortly after his dismissal, Klinsmann posted on social media, “I sincerely thank all the players, the coaching staff, and all the Korean fans. We have been able to continue an amazing journey without losing any of the past 13 games. Thank you to everyone who supported us to advance to the semi-finals of the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup. Way to go!” he said in a short message.
While former coach Klinsmann and former coach Herzog are shifting the blame to players through media plays, the KFA has shown no particular response. Chairman Chung Mong-gyu also said, “There is nothing more to be punished than not convening players.”
However, if the coaching staff, who is facing the worst conclusion, is talking about other things and the players are being divided, thorough investigation is urgently needed. Controversy arose over the “2701” issue at the last World Cup in Qatar through an external trainer’s surprise show. However, the situation did not change. Despite precise regulations, the World Cup reportedly has another problem. 꽁머니
The KFA should identify exactly what the problem was and make the announcement cool-headedly. It should not end with just checking players’ fighting. It is for the sake of Korean soccer.