South Korea started 2024 vowing to win the Asian Cup, but have endured a tumultuous year and are still without a manager, three months after sacking Jurgen Klinsmann.
Led by captain and Spurs ace Son Heung-min, South Korea are on track to take the next step: qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
However, all is not well in the Korean soccer world.
Despite featuring Son and former Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, South Korea lost 0-2 to lower-ranked Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
It was later revealed that a collision between Son and Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in on the eve of the match left the captain with a dislocated finger.
Facing a fan revolt, legendary German striker Klinsmann was subsequently sacked in February after just one year in the position.
But the Korea Football Association was unable to secure a replacement and earlier this month former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsh chose Canada instead, only for him to be rejected.
South Korea is currently under an interim coach for next month's World Cup qualifiers after its predecessor resigned after apparently headbutting an assistant on the opposing team.
A different person was in charge of the qualifying rounds in March.
South Korean soccer journalist Hong Jae-min told AFP that South Korea is entering a “dark age” for soccer, placing the blame on Korean Football Association president Chung Mong-gyu.
“All the problems come from Chairman Chung. He's been in the position for 11 years and the results are terrible,” Hong said.
“He has set Korean football back, definitely.”
KFA did not respond to AFP's request for comment.
– A useless search –
KFA reportedly spoke to American Marsh and Iraq's Spanish coach Jesús Casas, and is pictured with 71-year-old Senol Günes from Turkey and former Saudi coach Hervé. Renard is also in the picture.
None of the negotiations were successful, and Kim Do-hoon was appointed this week to lead the team on an interim basis for an away match against Singapore on June 6 and a home match against China five days later.
Kim's last place of employment was with Singapore's Lion City Sailors, but he left the club on a whim after being suspended for three games for assault after allegedly headbutting him during a stale match. .
South Korea needs one more point to progress to the next stage of World Cup qualifying.
Kim's temporary appointment comes after under-23 coach Hwang Seong-hong took over as caretaker manager for South Korea's home and away World Cup qualifiers against Thailand in March.
Fan led the team to a 1-1 draw at home and a 3-0 win in Bangkok and was seen as a strong candidate for a permanent move.
However, his reputation plummeted after he failed to qualify for the under-23 squad for the Paris Olympics. This is the first time in 40 years that the national team failed to qualify for the Olympics.
State broadcaster KBS said South Korea was in an “unprecedented situation,” specifically noting that a replacement for Klinsmann had not been found.
“Fan trust in the KFA has reached its lowest level,” the report said.
– “Cheap option”? –
KFA president Chung has faced intense criticism from fans and the media, who have blamed him for appointing and initially supporting the highly unpopular Klinsmann.
But Chong, 63, was elected to the Asian Football Confederation's executive committee last week, and journalist Hong said there was “no chance” of him stepping down as KFA president.
Mr Hong said financial issues were the biggest obstacle to appointing a full-time coach as the KFA poured money into building a new state-of-the-art training centre.
Hong said given the track record of South Korea's coaching staff, fans shouldn't expect someone at the highest level to eventually take over.
Prior to Klinsmann, the position was held by Paulo Bento, who is currently the manager of the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea's best World Cup performance was reaching the semi-finals in 2002 when they co-hosted the tournament with Japan under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink.
“Hiddink, Bent, Klinsmann, they were at the bottom of their careers when they came to Korea,” Hong said.
That means it was cheap.
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