South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday, a day after his side’s group-stage elimination from the World Cup and hours after President Lee Jae Myung condemned the team’s disappointing campaign.
The 57-year-old former captain, in his second spell as national team coach, oversaw another early World Cup exit, repeating the disappointment of the 2014 tournament.
South Korea had been expected to advance from Group A, which featured co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and the Czech Republic.
However, they suffered 1-0 defeats to South Africa and Mexico before beating the Czech Republic 2-1 to finish with three points.
The result left them relying on other matches to qualify as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams, but those hopes were dashed on Saturday.
Taking responsibility for the failure, Hong announced his resignation on Sunday.
“Over the past two years, I asked myself the same question whenever I had to make important decisions, select players or prepare for training sessions and matches: Is this the right choice for Korean football?” Hong told reporters in Mexico, according to Yonhap News Agency.
“I cannot say every decision has been the right one, but I can tell you that I have made every decision with Korean football in mind.”
His resignation came hours after President Lee criticised the team’s performance, blaming what he described as poor leadership in South Korean football and apologising to the public.
“When loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence, and incompetent people are appointed to leadership positions, the outcome is all but inevitable,” Lee wrote on X.
“I offer my deepest apologies to the public for the profound disappointment caused by this unacceptable outcome.
“We will move swiftly to reform sports administration to ensure that nothing like this happens again,” he added, without providing further details.
Hong had faced intense criticism from fans and the South Korean media even before the tournament.
One of his most controversial decisions was dropping veteran captain Son Heung-min for the crucial match against South Africa, when a draw would have been enough to secure qualification. The gamble backfired as South Korea lost 1-0.
Son, who turns 34 next month, has indicated that this was likely his final World Cup and has previously hinted at retiring from international football.
Hong, who was booed by supporters during home matches after his appointment in July 2024, said he would continue to support the national team despite stepping down.
“Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether,” he said.
“I will cheer for the national team from the bottom of my heart and hope that the team will be trusted and loved by the people once again.”
AFP
