South Korea’s national soccer team head coach Hong Myung-bo is leaving the country to appoint a foreign coaching staff. He will also conduct interviews before departing.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said on Thursday, “Coach Hong will leave for Europe on the morning of the 15th in connection with the appointment of a foreign coaching staff. He will be interviewed on site when he leaves the country.”
The KFA announced on July 7 that it had appointed Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo as the next head coach of the national soccer team. The KFA decided to hand the reins to Hong amidst controversy, and he left Ulsan HD mid-season to take over the national team.
The national team sacked Jürgen Klinsmann after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Asian Cup Qatar in February. The team then played four A matches in March and June, all under interim management. Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-hoon took charge of the Firemen and qualified for the final round with three wins and a draw.
After Kim Do-hoon’s interim stint ended, Jeong Jung-sung, the chairman of the Power Enhancement Committee, immediately began the process of selecting a head coach. However, Jeong suddenly decided to resign, leaving Lee Im-sang, the technical director, in charge of the selection process.
Lee conducted interviews with the shortlisted foreign directors. The foreign managers were evaluated by presenting a PPT, explaining their game model and analyzing trends for the Middle Eastern countries that are the final qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North and Central America.
But Lee’s choice was Hong, not a foreign coach. Lee 메이저사이트 approached Hong and asked him to coach the national team, and Hong immediately accepted the offer. Hong hung up his boots after Ulsan’s match against Gwangju FC on Oct. 10.
A lot of criticism followed, but the KFA stood by Hong’s appointment. “The KFA has officially appointed Hong through the approval of the board of directors, and Hong will start organizing the coaching staff. The KFA held the fourth written resolution of the board of directors for 2024 for three days from the 10th to the 12th.”
“The proposal was approved by 21 out of 23 members. With this, Hong will officially take up his duties as head coach and begin to form the national team’s coaching staff, especially for foreign coaches who will help us understand and analyze the flow of world football, and we plan to check candidates and conduct interviews in Europe.”
Hong leaves for Europe amid controversy. This will be Hong’s first official appearance as a national team coach. Hong made his first public appearance as head coach of the national team on Oct. 10 with Ulsan. On the 15th, it will be time for him to speak as the national team’s head coach.