A Bitter Return for Football Squad
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Park Sung-hwa, manager of the national football squad, came home Thursday along with his squad and expressed regrets for failing to reach the quarterfinals in the Olympic Games.
Park's squad managed a 1-0 win against Honduras but the only victory came too late to save his team. Park said he will take full responsibility for failure to advance to the knockout rounds, ranking itself third behind Italy and Cameroon in the Group D.
``I have a lot of regrets,'' Park told reporters at the Incheon International Airport. ``We should have bet all on the match with Cameroon.''
He said Korean football needs precise diagnosis of the team for development in the future.
He admitted his strategy for the Italian team was wrong but pointed out Korean soccer team's skills still lag behind international standards. Park's team drew with Cameroon 1-1 in its opening game and was defeated by Italy 3-0.
``It was my fault when it comes to strategy, but our team was far behind the European and African teams in terms of individual skills, stamina and teamwork. We should focus on improving those weak points,'' he said.
He expressed more regret about tying with Cameroon rather than heavy defeat by Italy. ``I bet the game with Cameroon. We could have won the game with the African powerhouse. After the match, I thought it would be hard for us to advance to the next rounds,'' he said.