The Canadian Football Association announced on its official website on Thursday (local time) that coach Jesse Machi (50) will be appointed to the national team. As the contract period runs through the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in North and Central America in his own country, he is committed to forming a good team with Machi.
Originally, Machi was most likely to take the helm of the Korean national team. The KFA also highly appreciated Machi’s strong tactical philosophy and experience with South Korean players (Hwang Hee-chan), and chose Machi as its top candidate. The French national women’s team coach, Herrbernard, and other candidates were put aside and made all-out efforts to negotiate with Machi.
The agreement fell through due to differences over other conditions, including annual salary. When Korean media reported the breakdown of the negotiations en masse, a KFA official denied the decision, saying, “There has been no outcome of the negotiations (with Machi). I understand it is still ongoing.” However, Machi sat down as Canada’s head coach the very next day.
In other words, everything is back to square one. Three months have passed since former coach Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked. If this continues, chances are high that “firefighters” will also be deployed for the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in June. Considering that the roster will normally be confirmed the week before the A-match, and that a call-up will take place three to four days before the match, the selection process should have been completed within this week.
As the process has become sluggish, rumors of Hwang’s nomination as national team coach for the U-23 Olympics have gained more strength in recent months. KFA reportedly tried to leave Hwang as the coach if the 2024 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Qatar Asian Cup was completed well, but failed to advance to the Olympic finals in 40 years as the failure became a reality.
Given that all candidates for the national team have learned about the KFA’s financial situation due to the breakdown of negotiations with Machi, analysts say that it is impossible to find realistic alternatives within a short period of time. According to sources in the Korean soccer community, other candidates such as Iraqi coach Jesus Casas and Bruno Raz must have similar requirements as Machi. GD coach Vasco Seabra GD Istoril Prya has signed a contract with his team.
It became snowballs that only followed fancy pictures, resulting in a crisis in Korean soccer. Perhaps, rather than repeating the same mistakes as before just because there is not much time left, acknowledging the mistakes and going through the formal process of appointing a coach based on a clear process can lead to healthier outcomes. As Korean national team captain Son Heung-min said, it is time to not be afraid to be criticized and run with your head in the air.
BY: 토토사이트링크