National soccer coach
Officials in South Korea recommend separation from Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is threatened with retirement as coach of the South Korean national team. photo
© Thanassis Stavrakis/AP/dpa
After South Korea’s semi-final exit from the Asian Cup, head coach Jürgen Klinsmann was criticized. Whether he has a future in the position is now more than questionable.
“For a number of reasons, we came to the conclusion that Klinsmann can no longer lead the national team as head coach,” the association’s technical director, Hwangbo Kwan, told journalists. With the recommendation, the national team committee reacted primarily to the team’s disappointing defeat in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. Klinsmann joined the meeting via video from his adopted home of the USA.
The final decision about Klinsmann’s future as head coach now lies in the hands of the KFA management committee and association president Chung Mong Gyu. It was initially unclear when this would happen. Klinsmann has been looking after the fourth-placed team in the 2002 World Cup since the beginning of last year. The Swabian native’s contract runs until the final of the 2026 World Cup.
Out against Jordan
Klinsmann faced strong criticism in South Korea after his team’s surprising 0-2 defeat against outsiders Jordan at the continental tournament in Qatar. Many fans had called for his dismissal. Although the semi-final against Jordan was the second meeting between the two teams in the tournament, Klinsmann’s team was not sufficiently prepared from a tactical point of view, said Hwangbo. In the group stage, both teams drew 2-2.
Klinsmann himself cited discord within the team as one of the reasons for the defeat, said the football official. That had an impact on the team’s performance on the pitch. This week it became known that there had been a serious argument within the team on the evening before the semi-finals. Team captain Heungmin Son dislocated a finger. As South Korean media reported, citing KFA, Son and other older players were annoyed that younger players left dinner early to play table tennis. After an initial exchange of words, a scuffle developed and Son was injured.
Hwangbo now said that the commission was of the opinion that Klinsmann had not responded appropriately to the internal conflict. When asked whether the players involved in the dispute would face disciplinary sanctions, Hwangbo did not elaborate. Klinsmann was already controversial in South Korea before the Asian Cup. Among other things, it was not appreciated in the country that – similar to his time as national coach – he had spent more time abroad than in South Korea.