The next captain of Korean football is in doubt after the World Cup in Qatar. It is still a question mark ahead of the national team’s first A match of the new year in March. In addition, the Korea Football Association is in a position to end the search for a successor for former coach Paulo Bento in February under tight security, but for some reason, foreign media reports that the association contacted several foreign coaches and were “rejected” are continuing. For Korea, which is the only Asian country that has advanced to the World Cup round of 16 to choose a replacement, it seems unclear how to appoint a new coach within the remaining deadline.
Recently, Tele Mundial Uruguay, a Uruguayan media, reported, “The Uruguay national team will play an evaluation match against Korea on March 20 and Japan on March 27 in Seoul and Tokyo.” The date and opponent of the national team’s first A match of the new year has been revealed. However, there are concerns as a new manager to take over the baton has not yet been decided. 안전놀이터
The Football Association is sparing its words. On the 25th, Michael Müller, the new head of the National Team Strengthening Committee, held an ‘online video conference’ and held the first meeting regarding the appointment of a new coach with 6 members. The association adhered to the position of “private” regarding the candidates.
However, it has been revealed that they are already focusing on appointing foreign coaches. On the 18th and 21st, respectively, there were local reports that the Korean side offered the managerial position to former Valencia coach Jose Bordalas (59, Spain) and Chichi (61, Brazil), who led Brazil at the Qatar World Cup, but were rejected. Coach Bordalas, who has no national team coaching experience, is said to be interested in a big club.
Not only that. Recently, coach Vahid Halilhodzic (71, Bosnia), who served as national team coach for several countries, disclosed through his country’s media that he had received a direct offer from Korea to coach. He had the experience of defeating Korea 4-2 in the group stage as Algeria’s coach at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but he also had a history of being fired from Japan and Morocco coaches, respectively, right before the opening of the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cups.
In addition to these names, names such as former Hamburg manager Torsten Fink (56, Germany), Jürgen Klinsmann (58, Germany) and Marcelo Bielsa (67, Barcelona) former coach, who are interested in the Korean national team, are also mentioned.
Müller, the new chairman, said, “We are leaving all possibilities open,” and revealed that expertise, experience, motivation, teamwork ability, and environmental factors are the new coaching guidelines. However, as only the names of foreign directors came out one after another, it was inevitable to raise a reasonable suspicion that ‘the appointment of Chairman Muller means that domestic directors have been excluded’. Former coach Park Hang-seo of the Vietnam national team also raised the possibility of appointing a foreign coach, saying, “It is questionable how much Chairman Mueller knows the capabilities of domestic leaders.”
In the midst of this, Australia and Japan renewed their contracts with Graham Arnold and Hajime Moriyasu for four years each. Among the Asian countries that advanced to the round of 16 in the Qatar World Cup, only Korea chose to replace rather than stay.