KFA technical director quits, blames himself

Kim Ho-gon has resigned as vice president and technical director of the Korea Football Association, the governing football body said Thursday.

Kim has been at the center of controversy regarding Guus Hiddink, a former coach of the Korean men’s football team who had expressed interest in leading the team again in June. That month, the KFA had fired Uli Stielike as head coach following a spate of bad performances.

Roh Je-ho, secretary general of the Guus Hiddink Foundation in Seoul, had sent Kim a message relaying the coach’s interest, but Kim reportedly ignored the offer. Fans were disappointed, since Hiddink had led Korea to the final four of the 2002 World Cup.

Kim later garnered more criticism for the team’s winless record of two ties and two losses in four World Cup qualifiers and friendly matches. “I tried my best for the development of football and the national team’s achievement,” he said, “but they didn’t turn out well due to my lack of ability.”

With the men’s team preparing for the 2018 World Cup, the KFA is expected to rush the search for a new technical director. A source said the search could begin as soon as Monday.

The technical director leads the eight-member technical committee in charge of hiring coaches for the national men and women’s teams.

BY PIH JU-YOUNG [kang.yoorim@joongang.co.kr]