South Korea The Korea Football Association (KFA) fired coach Jurgen Klinsmann after the Executive Committee meeting this morning, February 16.
After a two-hour meeting, the KFA Executive Committee, including Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, unanimously agreed to fire coach Klinsmann. The KFA informed the German coach of the decision by phone as he was in the United States.
According to KFA President Chung Mong-gyu, coach Klinsmann failed to create competitiveness for the team and failed to demonstrate the leadership ability as expected. "We assess that the problems are unlikely to improve in the future with Klinsmann," Mr. Chung said at a press conference. "I apologize for causing many disappointments to the fans and accept the criticism."
Coach Klinsmann talks with captain Son Heung-min after losing to Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-finals 29023. Photo: AFP
Klinsmann will lead the Korean national team under a contract from March 2023 to July 2026. According to Dong-a , due to the early dismissal, the KFA must compensate the German coach about 7 billion won, equivalent to 5.3 million USD. In addition, the compensation cost for other members of the coaching staff is about 10 billion won.
Coach Klinsmann was tasked with helping South Korea win the 2023 Asian Cup and qualify for their 11th consecutive World Cup in 2026. However, South Korea stopped in the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup after losing 0-2 to Jordan. Klinsmann was criticized for his weak tactics and ineffective substitutions, and his inability to manage his players when a fight broke out between the team's two big stars, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, at dinner the day before the semi-final.
Not only did he fail in the Asian Cup, coach Klinsmann also lost points for his attitude when he often worked from abroad instead of being present in Korea. The anger of Korean fans reached its peak when he smiled after the defeat against Jordan, or when answering the press at Incheon airport, Korea.
On Twitter , coach Klinsmann posted a photo with the Korean team with the status: "I sincerely thank all the players, coaching staff and Korean football fans. Thank you all for supporting us to be able to reach the Asian Cup semi-finals. It was an incredible journey, with 13 unbeaten matches in the 12 months before the semi-finals. Keep fighting."
Son Heung-min (right) failed to win the Asian Cup after four appearances. Photo: Yonhap
The KFA will speed up the process of selecting a new coach when the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers takes place in late March 2024, where Korea will have two matches against Thailand.
Klinsmann is the ninth foreign coach in the history of the Korean national team, since Russian coach Anatoliy Byshovets from 1994 to 1995. Before Klinsmann, former Portuguese coach Paulo Bento led the team from 2018 and parted ways after reaching the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup. The most memorable foreign coach in Korea is Guus Hiddink, who won fourth place at the 2002 World Cup.
Klinsmann was born in 1964, is a legendary German striker who scored 47 goals in 108 matches for the national team, won the 1990 World Cup, Euro 1996. His club career spanned many famous places such as Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Tottenham, Bayern Munich... with 232 goals in 514 matches.
Klinsmann is considered the person who initiated the reform of the German team after the failure at Euro 2004. He was appointed head coach, and together with assistant Joachim Low, transformed Germany from a solid team to a dedicated attacking team. At the 2006 World Cup, he helped the host team finish in third place.
Klinsmann then coached Bayern Munich in the 2008-09 season but was unsuccessful. In 2011, he became head coach of the US national team, with his best achievement being reaching the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup before losing 1-2 to Belgium after 120 minutes. In the 2019-2020 season, Klinsmann coached Hertha BSC, but resigned after only 10 weeks.
Hieu Luong
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