As the process of appointing the next head coach of the South Korean men’s national soccer team is nearing the end, there are still concerns that the second Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) incident may be repeated without drawing a detailed roadmap.
The Korea Football Association announced on the 2nd that Lee Im-saeng, chairman of the technical development committee, left for Europe to interview foreign coach candidates.
While Gus Foyet (56), former coach of the Greek national team, David Wagner (52), former coach of Norwich City, and Graham Arnold (60), current coach of the Australian national team, are mentioned as candidates, Chairman Lee Im-saeng will meet them in person to confirm.
The South Korean national soccer team has not been able to find a head coach for more than four months since the replacement of Klinsmann in February. The second qualifying round for the Asian region of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup had to be endured under Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-hoon.
The Korea Football Association held a presentation on the 20th of last month and announced that it will apply this standard to the appointment of the next national team coach, establishing a technical philosophy unique to Korean soccer that is “fast, courageous, and leading.”
However, unlike the grand slogan, the actual appointment process was repeated without a clear standard or system for appointment.
In May, various foreign head coaches were nominated, including Jesse Marsch (USA), Senol Günech (Turkiye), and Jesus Casas (Spain), but they fizzled out without progress. As the difficulties continued in the appointment of the coach, the domestic head coach Kim Do-hoon and Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo added weight.
To make matters worse, on the 28th of last month, Jung Hae-sung, chairman of the Korea Football Association’s power reinforcement committee, who was leading the process of appointing the new coach, expressed his resignation, adding to the crisis.
As difficulties and noise continued, there are concerns that problems revealed in the process of appointing former coach Klinsmann in February last year may be repeated.
At the time of the appointment of former coach Klinsmann, Michael Mueller, chairman of the National Power Reinforcement Committee, said at a press conference, “We started with 61 people and narrowed the candidates to the final two, and then finally decided with Klinsmann,” stressing that it was the result of a systematic process, but adding, “We highly appreciated Klinsmann’s human side.” 안전놀이터
On the other hand, after his appointment, former coach Klinsmann said that contact began in a conversation with Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, drawing criticism over the opaque criteria for appointment, which is completely contrary to Mueller’s words.
Without a clear process, former coach Klinsmann, who had not taken the helm for years as the new head coach of the national team under the leadership of Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, was brought in.
Despite Müller’s explanation that he highly valued humanity, former coach Klinsmann did not keep his promise to stay in Korea and went overseas while turning a blind eye to the K-League.