After bankruptcy in the Asian Cup
Jürgen Klinsmann fired as national coach in South Korea
At the Asian Cup in Qatar, Jürgen Klinsmann was still in the coaching bench
© Jia Haocheng / XinHua / DPA
Jürgen Klinsmann had big goals as head coach of the South Korean national team. But nothing came of the planned win of the Asian Championship. Now the association made a decision.
The former national coach thanked his players, his coaching team and the fans in South Korea on Instagram. “Thank you for all your support in getting us to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup and for the incredible journey over the past 12 months in which we did not lose 13 games in a row until the semi-finals,” he wrote.
Fans called for Jürgen Klinsmann to be fired
Klinsmann was exposed to some heavy criticism from commentators and fans in South Korea after his exit in the semi-finals of the continental championship last week. The South Koreans lost 2-0 to outsiders Jordan in the finals in Qatar after a poor performance and didn’t shoot at the opponent’s goal once. In South Korea, football fans later unfurled a large banner in front of the KFA building calling for the national coach to be fired.
Klinsmann was criticized in South Korea even before the Asian Cup. The 1990 World Cup winner didn’t win any of his first five games with South Korea. The fact that he spent more time abroad than in South Korea was also not welcomed – similar to his time as national coach.
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However, Klinsmann and the team made a flawless debut in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. In November, just a few days after the 5-0 opening win against Singapore, a 3-0 win against China followed. Klinsmann took over the job in Asia almost three years after the resounding failure of his coaching engagement with Bundesliga club Hertha BSC. His short-term goal was to win the Asian Championship.
For Klinsmann it was the third job as national coach. The 1990 world champion looked after Germany from 2004 to 2006 and led the DFB team to third place at the home World Cup. From July 2011 to November 2016, the ex-professional was the USA national coach.