Kim Pan-gon, head coach of Ulsan Hyundai in the K League 1, gave a candid opinion on the situation of the Korea Football Association, which has recently been criticized for controversy over the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as head coach of the national team.
Coach Kim said at a press conference after the 32nd round of the K League 1 away game against Daejeon Hana Citizen at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 27th, “I think there is a misunderstanding about all coaches in terms of the way I verified when appointing coach Paulo Bento.”
Coach Kim, who served as a senior member of the Korea Football Association from January 2018 to January 2022, led the recruitment of former Bento, who led the team to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “The reason we tried to verify more when Bento was appointed was that he was not the candidate we wanted completely because he had failed in China, Brazil and Greece,” he explained.
“The national team coach is already the best leader at home and abroad, and it’s funny to ask for something like ‘PPT’,” he added.
“He has won the African Cup of Nations, and he is the best coach in every way,” Kim said, referring to the cases of Erbernard and Carlos Queiroz, who were mentioned as candidates at the time. “I just confirmed that he has the will to work in Korea.” Regarding Queiroz, he also asked, “Everything is proven. What kind of PPT would we ask for from such a coach?”
He also criticized the Korea Football Association’s recent moves. “There was a lack of clear direction and persuasive explanation to the public in the process of recruiting the national team coach,” he said. “The misunderstanding started from a simple matter.”
He also raised questions about reducing the role of the power enhancement committee. “The best performance came out when we gave all the authority to the power enhancement committee and the chairman,” he said. “I don’t understand who took away the authority one day and why.” 먹튀검증
Finally, Kim stressed that the most important thing under the current circumstances is to focus on the upcoming games. “It is not the right time to put all our energy into such controversies. A coach should focus on selecting players and managing the team,” he said. “Point out what is wrong, but put the responsibility on the coach first, and if necessary, hold those who appointed the coach later accountable as well.”