Korea still lack a manager as head of selection committee hands in resignation

Football

Published: 30 Jun. 2024, 14:50 Updated: 30 Jun. 2024, 16:38

Korea still lack a manager as head of selection committee hands in resignation

Chung Hae-sung speaks during a briefing at the KFA House in central Seoul on April 2. [NEWS1]

Korea Football Association National Team Committee head Chung Hae-sung announced his intention to resign on Friday after months of failed talks with possible candidates to take the helm of the Korean national team.

KFA officials said that Chung had told the KFA that he wants to step down on health grounds, according to Yonhap News Agency on Saturday, although Korean media report that Chung's decision came after he repeatedly clashed with KFA executives over the final candidates for the Korea manager post.

It is unclear whether the KFA has accepted the resignation. The KFA could not be reached by the Korea JoongAng Daily for comment as of press time Sunday.

Chung’s resignation comes after he took the National Team Committee Head role in February, when the KFA formed a new committee in order for the committee to search for a new national team manager that would replace Jurgen Klinsmann, who was sacked earlier that month following a turbulent one-year spell during which he faced criticism for a perceived lack of tactical awareness and failure to win the AFC Asian Cup.

Chung said in April that the committee would begin interviewing candidates and appoint a new manger by mid-May, but the committee missed its deadline after failed talks with those on the radar like Jesse Marsch, Jesus Casas and Senol Gunes, forcing the KFA to appoint Kim Do-hoon as a caretaker for 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.

After Korea ended the FIFA international break on June 11 with a 7-0 win over Singapore and 1-0 victory over China, Chung said later that week that the KFA shortlisted 12 candidates for a new permanent manager, but he did not reveal any names.

He did say that there are some Korean managers among the 12 candidates and also said that he would not completely exclude Korean managers.

Kim was assumed to be on that list, but the former interim manager told broadcaster KBS earlier in June that he has declined the offer because he prefers coaching at club level.

Then-Korean national team interim manager Kim Do-hoon instructs his players during a 2026 World Cup qualifier against China at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on June 11. [YONHAP]

He also said that he was offered an assistant coaching role under Klinsmann, but rejected the offer.

Assuming Chung has stepped down, Lee Lim-saeng, technical director at the national federation, will take the baton, according to an unnamed KFA official quoted in Korean reports.

The KFA has yet to publicly reveal any possible candidate for the new permanent manager role, nor has it set a new deadline for the appointment.

The KFA had previously hinted that it could consider a current K League manager, a suggestion that was met with immediate backlash from local fans.

Ulsan HD boss Hong Myung-bo and FC Seoul head coach Kim Gi-dong have never the less remained in the conversation. Taking either of them would cause huge disruption to either club in the middle of the 2024 K League 1 season that began in March.

Once a new manager takes charge of the national team, he will face an immediate challenge in the third round of qualifiers in which the Taeguk Warriors face Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait in Group B to earn a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. The top two teams from the group reach the World Cup.

The third round runs from September through June next year, with Korea facing Palestine in their first match on Sept. 5.

If Korea finish as group winners or runners-up, the third round of qualifiers will be the last qualifying stage for Korea before the World Cup. But a third or fourth-place finish will send them to the fourth round where only group winners qualify for the World Cup.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]