“No resignation… My role is to make the team stronger” amidst various controversies
‘World Cup qualifiers’ fate hangs on Jordan-Iraq match
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who was summoned to the National Assembly due to the controversy over the unfairness of the selection process for the head coach of the national soccer team, said, “I have no intention of resigning voluntarily because of this issue. If the results are not good, I will be fired,” and he himself took the blame. This is his strong will to confront the criticism directed at him head-on through the upcoming matches against Jordan and Iraq.
On the 24th, Coach Hong appeared as a witness at the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s current affairs inquiry held at the National Assembly and apologized, saying, “I am deeply sorry for causing public outrage in all aspects of soccer, including the appointment of the coach,” but also firmly stated, “I do not believe there was any unfairness or preferential treatment in the process. I have no intention of resigning from my position as coach.”
He then expressed his intention to focus on advancing to the 2026 FIFA World Cup North and Central America Asia 3rd qualifying round, and went to the edge of a cliff by saying, “If I don’t do well, I’ll be fired.”
Coach Hong has been embroiled in controversy since he took charge of the national team in July.
The Korea Football Association previously dismissed former coach Jurgen Klinsmann in February and appointed Hong as coach after about five months of internal strife. However, criticism poured in from both inside and outside the football world, saying that the process for selecting the coach was unfair and opaque.
Eventually, the issue was brought to the National Assembly, but Coach Hong firmly expressed his intention to remain in office, saying, “My role now is to make the national team stronger.” He also said that he would be judged by the results.
Accordingly, the World Cup third qualifying match between Jordan and Iraq next month has become even more important.
Korea will face Jordan in Amman, Jordan on October 10th and Iraq in Yongin Mir Stadium on the 15th.
In the third round of qualifying, which is effectively the final qualifying round, the top two teams from each group will advance to the World Cup finals, and Korea is ranked second out of six teams in Group B.
Jordan and Iraq also each had 1 win and 1 draw. The 1st to 3rd places in the group are Jordan (+2, 4 goals), Korea (+2, 3 goals), and Iraq (+1, 1 goal), based on goal difference and number of goals scored.
These two matches are expected to be the biggest hurdle for advancing to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time, and Coach Hong’s fate is also at stake.
If Korea defeats Jordan and Iraq, it will give a green light to advance to the World Cup finals and give strength to Coach Hong.
However, if the worst case scenario of being hit by Jordan and Iraq occurs, trust in Coach Hong could be shaken even more. Furthermore, if the two away games against Kuwait and Palestine scheduled for November are also missed, the pressure to dismiss him will only intensify.
The national team, which has started anew under the leadership of Coach Hong, showed disappointing performances in the first two matches of the third preliminary round. In the first match against Palestine held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th of this month, they drew 0-0, leaving a sense of disappointment. Then, in the away match against Oman on the 10th, they were tied 1-1 until the middle of the second half, but they managed to score two goals in the end to win 3-1 with difficulty.
Even in this situation, Coach Hong chose to attack Bae Soo-jin and make a frontal breakthrough. He wanted to get good results against Jordan and Iraq and turn the situation around.
Coach Hong is making thorough preparations to ensure victory in these two games. He will visit K-League sites from the 27th to the 29th to check on the players, and then announce the list of national team players on the 30th. He is also analyzing the opponent’s strength and preparing a sure-win strategy.
(Seoul = News 1)
2024-09-25 04:53:18