One of the reasons why Hong Myung-bo, then coach of the Korean national soccer team, was strongly criticized 10 years ago was his so-called loyalty or personal soccer. He caused controversy by consistently selecting specific players regardless of performance or condition. As a result, Hong was humiliatingly eliminated at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil due to one draw and two losses. It was a humiliating failure.
As Coach Hong Myung-bo took the helm of the national team again for the first time in 10 years, controversy over “fidelity soccer” at the time was naturally at the center of attention. For one, Hong himself admitted and reflected on the controversy over “fidelity soccer” 10 years ago. At the inaugural press conference, he said, “At the time, we were told that soccer was designed only to select players we knew. We selected only players who had hat tricks or scored goals in the K-League. Even though they were not worthy of their name, they had no idea who could dedicate themselves to the team. They failed 10 years ago. They were all correct.”
Nonetheless, Hong said he was confident that his performance will be different from that of 10 years ago. “I have lived in the K-League for three and a half years (recently). Major players as well as players who can replace players, if not major players, are understood. The big difference is that I have a list of players who will commit themselves to the team and players who will change the course of the game,” he said. “If I have good performance, I will be flexible in selecting the players.” He also pledged to have a broader range of players than when the soccer controversy erupted at least 10 years ago.
In fact, the new faces were quite noticeable on the first team list announced by head coach Hong Myung-bo on the 26th. Starting with Yang Min-hyuk, a high school student born in 2006, Hwang Moon-ki (Gangwon FC), Choi Woo-jin (Incheon United) and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan) wore the national flag for the first time. Compared to the interim coach Kim Do-hoon’s system in June, the composition of the national team has changed by 10 people. The first team was set up in a way that changes some positions while maintaining a framework centered on core European teams.
However, there is another point that stands out. Unfortunately, there are many former students who are returning to the national team wearing the national flag with Hong Myung-bo at the helm. Aside from players who have already become the main players of the national team, such as Joo Min-kyu and Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) and Seol Young-woo (Zrvena Zvezda), it is worth pointing out that the return of Hong’s former students, who have been away from the national team recently or for quite a while, is overshadowed by the selection of four new players, including Yang Min-hyuk.
Jung Seung-hyun (Al Wasl), who seemed to be moving away from the national team after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in February, re-wrote the national flag for the first time in seven months. He was excluded from the national team in both March and June after the Asian Cup, but he had a relationship with coach Hong Myung-bo in Ulsan. Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Cheon Sang-mu), who won the national flag again in a year, was also an important player when he was in Ulsan.
Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan), who was excluded from the national team in June for no special reason, including injuries, under the interim coach Kim Do-hoon, also returned to the national team immediately upon the inauguration of the first period of Hong Myung-bo. Kim Young-kwon, who has continued his relentless push this year, has seen his performance fluctuate so much that he has been excluded from the entry when Hong was leading Ulsan, and unfortunately, Hong is set to play in an A match for the first time in six months as he took the helm of the national team. In addition, defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo (Al-Ain) is also a player from Ulsan, which was led by Hong.
Of course, there are some former students who are considered to be qualified to join the national team regardless of their relationship with Hong, but it is noteworthy that the players who have been far from the national team are included in the first-term list of Hong Myung-bo. Moreover, most players currently playing in the Middle East have re-branded as the national team after only one game after the opening of the season. It is unclear whether Hong has properly checked his performance without completely excluding his past ties, or whether he has objectively compared his performance with the K-League players in the midst of the season. 안전놀이터
It may be intended to make changes gradually after forming a national team centered on familiar players, but it is worth pointing out that there are not a few cases in which players with past relationships have returned to the national team instead of maintaining the existing national team list. The selection is far from being able to make a “flexible selection of players” on its own, coupled with the return to the national team’s coach position for the first time in 10 years, and it is a problem that is inevitably more sensitive in that there is a precedent that has already been at the center of the controversy over loyal soccer.