When a World Cup defeat became a national crisis
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD CUP? Live Events WHY IS THE REACTION SO FIERCE? WHAT DID THE KFA SAY IN PARLIAMENT? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? WHAT
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD CUP? Live Events WHY IS THE REACTION SO FIERCE? WHAT DID THE KFA SAY IN PARLIAMENT? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HONG SINCE THE WORLD CUP EXIT? as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Seoul: South Korea's exit from the World Cup in the group stage has been followed by the country's president demanding an investigation, national team coach Hong Myung-bo resigning and fans calling for reform of the Korea Football Association.Here is why the team's elimination has rippled into a controversy far beyond the pitch:South Korea opened Group A with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic but then lost 1-0 to Mexico and 1-0 to South Africa, finishing third and failing to qualify for the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams.The expanded 48-team tournament had raised expectations that South Korea would reach the knockout stage, with local media labelling the squad a "golden generation" headlined by former Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, Paris St Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae.The South Africa defeat became the flashpoint and Hong was criticised for leaving Son out of the starting lineup, bringing him on at halftime with the score at 0-0. He later said he had planned to use him when South Africa tired, but that he would do things differently had he known how the match would turn out.The anger is not just about three World Cup matches.
It was born of frustration over the Korea Football Association's (KFA) handling of the national team, including the appointment and firing of Juergen Klinsmann, the former Germany striker and Korean national team coach in 2023.Hong's appointment in July 2024, after Klinsmann was fired after just a year in the role, was controversial.Hong is one of South Korea's most renowned football figures, having captained the team to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals and later coached South Korea to Olympic bronze in 2012.He was appointed to his first stint as national team manager in 2013 but resigned a year later after his young and promising squad were eliminated in the group phase of the World Cup in Brazil.After an unsuccessful stint in the Chinese Super League, Hong restored his reputation in the domestic K League, leading Ulsan HD to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.Amid reports that the KFA wanted him to return, Hong said he did not want to leave Ulsan during the season.His return as national team coach in 2024 attracted questions from fans, former players and lawmakers, who said the KFA appeared to abandon a months-long search involving foreign candidates before appointing Hong after a brief meeting. national team midfielder Park Joo-ho, who served on the KFA's search committee, was among the most prominent critics of the search process and uploaded a video on YouTube detailing the story behind Hong's appointment.South Korea's sports ministry said in October 2024 that the KFA breached its own rules in the hirings of both Hong and Klinsmann.
The BriefWire