Lee Im-sang, the technical director of the Korea Football Association, has unilaterally appointed Ulsan HD head coach Hong Myung-bo as the new head coach of the South Korean national soccer team. “I have been delegated full authority by Chung Mong-kyu, the president of the Korea Football Association, to appoint Hong Myung-bo,” Lee said at a press conference at the Jongno-gu Football Hall in Seoul earlier today.
Lee was given full authority and responsibility for the appointment through a video conference with the five remaining members of the National Strength Committee after the recent resignation of Jeong Jung-sung. Lee emphasized that he conducted the entire process transparently based on Chairman Chung’s trust, and that he would take full responsibility for the final decision.
He also insisted that procedural legitimacy was upheld throughout the process. “After the resignation of Chairman Jung, someone had to follow the procedures, and Chairman Jung gave me full authority. I have been following the procedures,” he said. The association’s legal team also confirmed that Lee’s decision to act alone was procedurally sound.
On March 20, the 10th All-Powerful Committee meeting narrowed the field to three finalists, and Lee conducted face-to-face interviews in Europe with foreign coaching candidates David Wagner and Gus Poyet. After returning home, Lee decided that Hong Myung-bo was the best coach for Korean soccer, and he personally visited Hong to convince him.
Lee did not share the details of his interviews with the foreign candidates or the process of comparing the candidates with the entire committee. He said, “The judgment 카지노사이트 of the three candidates was solely mine. After meeting with Hong Myung-bo and making a decision, I had to reconvene the whole committee for a meeting, but I was afraid that the information would leak out after the meeting,” he explained.
While he respected the soccer philosophies of each of the foreign coaching candidates, he didn’t think they were a good fit for Korean soccer. “We want to play like Paulo Bento, with a buildup, an attacking process from midfield, and create chances,” he said, explaining that his philosophy differed from that of one foreign coach.
Another foreign coach candidate expressed concern about the high-pressing style of the team, saying, “Is it right to ask our players to press high? We need to create chances through the buildup against a team that is crouching, such as the Middle East, but if we pull up the defense too much, will we be able to overcome their counterattacks and will we have stamina problems until the second half?”
Overall, Hong Myung-bo was the right man for the job given the game model of Korean soccer, the linkage and continuity between the age groups and the A team. “The national team is convened for a short period of time, only about 10 days, and in such a short period of time, I kept thinking about whether the players would be able to fully understand the philosophy of the foreign coaches and whether their performance would improve,” he adds.
Lee said he would take full responsibility for Hong Myung-bo’s appointment as the national team’s head coach. “You can blame my low knowledge and experience. If I’m wrong, I’ll accept it,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to regret my decision to appoint Hong Myung-bo.”