More KFA officials calling it quits as search for national team boss drags on: Reports

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More KFA officials calling it quits as search for national team boss drags on: Reports

Published: 02 Jul. 2024, 16:26 Updated: 02 Jul. 2024, 17:39

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Chung Hae-sung watches the Korean national team train at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi on June 9. [NEWS1]

There could soon be another blip in the drawn-out search for a new Korean national football team boss as some officials overseeing the rollercoaster process reportedly want out — following suit with their ex-chief.

An unnamed KFA official told Korean wire service News1 on Monday that some members of the National Team Committee said they want to step down. The signals of a bigger exodus come days after Chung Hae-sung, the former committee chief, on June 28 announced his intention to resign following failed talks with national team manager candidates.

A KFA official told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Tuesday that he cannot confirm whether the members expressed their intention to do so or if the KFA has accepted Chung's resignation.

But the official said that Lee Lim-saeng, the technical director at the national federation, has already taken Chung’s role at the National Team Committee — seeming to imply that the KFA has indeed accepted Chung's exit and replaced him.

Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

The official did not name any members who allegedly expressed their intent to step down but said that “not all committee members” have made the same call and the committee led by Lee is still in the process of appointing a new manager.

The KFA formed the National Team Committee, led by Chung, in February to find a replacement for Jurgen Klinsmann, who was sacked earlier that month following a turbulent one-year spell.

Chung said in April that the committee would begin interviewing candidates and appoint a new manager by mid-May, but the committee missed its deadline after failed talks with those on its 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.

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

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

Ulsan HD manager Hong Myung-bo was also rumored to be on the KFA radar, but he told reporters before a K League 1 match against the Pohang Steelers on Sunday that his name will not be mentioned if the KFA finds candidates with more experience and accomplishments and Ulsan fans do not have to worry, indicating his intent to reject the national team job.

The KFA has yet to announce any names of the candidates up for the vacant manager position, but Lim will be in Europe this week to meet with foreign candidates, according to multiple local outlets.

Sports Chosun on Tuesday reported that Lim is set to meet with Uruguayan manager Gus Poyet, who led the Greek national team from February 2022 to March of this year, and ex-Championship boss David Wagner, whom Norwich City sacked in May.

Once a new manager takes charge of the national team, he will face an immediate challenge in the third round of qualifiers for 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 each group qualify for the tournament.

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

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