2024-07-24 11:04:08
On the 22nd, a long article was posted explaining the process of appointing coach Hong Myung-bo.
“The final decision is up to Director Lee Im-saeng”… Unable to explain lack of procedures
As the controversy over the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as head coach of the national soccer team continues, the Korea Football Association has directly explained the process of the past five months. However, it is questionable whether the Football Association’s explanation will be able to persuade the public.
On the 22nd, the Korea Football Association posted a long article on its official website titled “Explaining the process of selecting the national team coach.”
Through the article, the Korea Football Association stated, “We will explain the contents of the discussions of the National Team Strengthening Committee that have been held since February to select the national team coach, as well as other major progress and decision-making processes.”
When the Korea Football Association appointed former Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo as the successor to former coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), who was fired in February, there was a series of criticism directed at the association, saying that procedures, systems, fairness, and transparency had disappeared.
In addition, the revelations by former national team member Park Joo-ho have added fuel to the fire of public criticism of the Korea Football Association.
Despite strong public criticism, the Korea Football Association maintained its stance that “the appointment was carried out according to procedure without any problems,” but it appears that it has stepped forward to provide a specific explanation once the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism began its audit.
According to the Korea Football Association, up until the 6th Strengthening Committee meeting in April, all candidates who were considered for the position of national team coach were foreigners. The association also held practical negotiations with the top two candidates.
The association’s top candidate is Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsh, who was one of the most popular candidates.
Regarding Director Marsh, the association explained, “At first, they were favorable about the salary scale and domestic residency requirements, but as more specific inquiries and negotiations proceeded, there was discord,” and “Finally, the other side responded that ‘the offer to become director is being abandoned due to domestic residency and tax issues. ’”
It is said that the domestic stay conditions were considered important because Manager Klinsmann caused controversy by staying abroad during his term.
The second candidate also explained that the final breakdown occurred due to a delay in submitting the contract termination confirmation with his team.
The association then said, “Even in the process of selecting the final four candidates through the 10th meeting, Coach Hong Myung-bo received the most recommendations, and rather, the possibility of his being selected was low due to his previous statements,” and added, “The ‘Hong Myung-bo free pass theory’ is a misunderstanding.”
In addition, Korea Football Association Chairman Chung Mong-gyu left the final selection entirely to Director Lee Im-saeng, clarifying that rumors that Chairman Chung had influence in the selection of the coach were a misunderstanding.
In this way, the Football Association explained in detail the process of the past five months and the reasons for the final selection.
But the conclusion of the lengthy explanation put forth by the Korea Football Association is that despite having held more than 10 meetings, reviews, and interviews over the past five months, the association ultimately decided on the national team coach based solely on the judgment of Director Lee Im-saeng.
The association said that the two foreign coaches who went to Europe on the 2nd and conducted the final interview “showed their enthusiasm for the position of national team commander by submitting 22 and 16 pages of documents respectively.”
However, the association explained, “Passion and sincerity cannot be the basis for ability and competitiveness as a national team coach,” and “The soccer philosophy and direction of the coaches in question did not match what the team strengthening committee had previously identified.”
He added, “I am also not sure whether the clear soccer philosophy of these leaders will be combined with the technical philosophy of the association.”
However, he said, “I knew coach Hong Myung-bo’s soccer philosophy and career so well that I didn’t need to check other sources.”
After five months of discussions, the candidates were ultimately evaluated by different standards, and the most important final decision was made by one person. And that in itself means that the procedures and systems within the association did not work properly.
The Football Association attempted to explain the public’s criticisms through a lengthy statement, but ended up acknowledging the problem.
In the end, the Korea Football Association’s explanation only showed that it has no grasp of the core of the problem that the public and soccer players are currently pointing out.
[서울=뉴시스]
2024-07-24 11:04:08