Chung Mong-gyu, President of the Korea Football Association

The prevailing voice is that Coach Klinsmann should be fired. Not only fans but also soccer people came together. Now all that remains is the decision of Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu.

Hwang Bo-gwan, head of the technical department of the Korea Football Association (KFA), said after the power strengthening committee held at the soccer center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 15th, “We discussed the future of coach Jurgen Klinsmann and decided that it would be difficult to demonstrate leadership in the national team anymore.” He added, “It is necessary to replace the coach.” We agreed that it was necessary. The contents of the committee's discussions and conclusions will be reported to the association. “I will deliver it to Chairman Chung Mong-gyu,” he said.

Director Hwang said, “We lacked tactical preparation against Jordan in the semifinals, even though we were our second opponent during the tournament. In addition, there were opinions that there was a lack of will to discover diverse players,” he said. “Failure to identify internal conflicts within the team and establish team discipline were also pointed out as problems. “In addition, the lack of time spent in the country was also mentioned,” he said, explaining the reason for calling for Coach Klinsmann’s dismissal.

Jürgen Klinsmann, coach of the Korean national soccer team, is participating virtually in the 1st Power Strengthening Committee of 2024 held at the Soccer Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 15th. At this meeting, Michael Müller, Chairman of the Strengthening Committee, Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach of the Korean national soccer team, and seven members of the Strengthening Strengthening Committee will attend and look back on Klinsmann's performance in the Asian Cup and the preparation process for the tournament. 

As a result, Coach Klinsmann's fate was transferred to Chairman Chung Mong-gyu.

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu played a decisive role in the selection of Coach Klinsmann. In fact, Chairman Chung ignored the system created by KFA and arbitrarily appointed Coach Klinsmann.

KFA, which appointed coach Paulo Bento under a systematic and transparent system in 2018, supported the team with unwavering direction and achieved the result of advancing to the round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

However, in the process of bringing in a new head after parting ways with coach Bento, the previous system collapsed.

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu took the lead in bringing in Coach Klinsmann, who had not been at the helm for nearly three years and had caused various controversies without any results as a leader.

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu said, “Coach Klinsmann also put his honor on the line. The reason for his appointment was replaced by a standard-free statement, “I expect him to do well.” From then on it was a series of noises.

After Coach Klinsmann took office, the national team went 5 consecutive games without a win (3 draws and 2 losses). In a situation where the results were not good, many criticisms poured in as controversy over Coach Klinsmann's frequent overseas business trips, long vacations, and neglect of the K-League.

Even amidst criticism from inside and outside, Chairman Chung defended Coach Klinsmann, saying, “Coach Klinsmann knows the tournament better than anyone else,” and “Son Heung-min (Tottenham) has no choice but to follow the words of Coach Klinsmann, who is in direct contact with the club.” did.

Hwang Bo-gwan, head of the Korea Football Association's technical headquarters, is answering questions from reporters after completing the first power enhancement committee meeting of 2024 held at the Shinmun-ro Soccer Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 15th. 

However, the long-awaited challenge to win the Asian Cup ended in the semifinals. The performance was dismal throughout the six games until the semifinals, and the winning rate was less than 50%, with 2 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss (the penalty shootout was a draw).

To make matters worse, after the tournament ended, the shocking fact that there was a rift within the national team was revealed. As the story spread that 'captain' Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) clashed, Coach Klinsmann's position was further narrowed.

Since the day before the Power Strengthening Committee was held, soccer fans in front of the soccer center have been demanding the joint resignation of Chairman Chung Mong-gyu and coach Klinsmann.

At the Power Strengthening Committee meeting that day, Coach Klinsmann showed a lack of responsibility. Klinsmann, who participated non-face-to-face, did not acknowledge the lack of tactics pointed out by the strength enhancement committee members, saying, “The discord among the players affected the performance.” This is an unfair example of a head coach passing responsibility to the players.

Everyone's meaning is hard. The credit went to Chairman Chung Mong-gyu.

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu admits that his choice a year ago was wrong, and he must move to replace the manager. If he moves arbitrarily like he did a year ago, a major crisis could occur not only for Chairman Chung Mong-gyu but also for Korean soccer. 섯다