INTERVIEW Park Ji-sung said trust is the most important for national football team
Former football star Park Ji-sung poses with Soohorang, left, and Bandibi, the mascots of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, after he was named honorary ambassador for the Winter Games, Friday. / Yonhap
By Yoon Tae-seok, Baek Byung-yeul
It has been three years since Park Ji-sung retired from football, but the former Korean national team captain is still regarded as a sports icon in Korea.
After announcing retirement in 2014, Park has been busy with several titles -- he has been promoting his former English Premier club Manchester United as its first Asian ambassador; became a member of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Social Responsibility Committee in 2015; and has been promoting next year’s Winter Olympics as an honorary ambassador for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
Park is also paving his way as a sports administrator. Last month, he was appointed to the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) Football Advisory Panel (FAP). Representing the AFC, Park will advise the board regarding rule changes in the sport.
He returned to Korea last month after completing the FIFA Master Course, a sports management program coordinated by the International Centre for Sports Studies and endorsed by FIFA. He had an interview with the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, Thursday.
In the interview, the 36-year-old talked about his life after retirement and gave some insightful advice to the sluggish Korean national football team struggling for qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Q: How long has it been since you were in Korea?
A: This is my first visit to Korea since I enrolled in the FIFA Master Course, so it has taken a year for me to return.
Q: We’ve heard that your daughter is now three years old.
A: Yes, in Korean age, she is three years old. More accurately, she is 21 months old.
Q: Do you actively take part in parenting?
A: When I was studying at the FIFA Master Course, I was always with her except when I had to be in school from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I used to hang out with my daughter and bathe her with my wife.
Q: When you were a football player, you were not active in communicating with your fans via social media and never made TV appearances except for football-related programs. Now that you are retired, do you see any change in that?
A: I’ve heard Patrice Evra (former Manchester United player and Park’s friend) became enormously famous through Instagram and made some additional profit from it. But I think I am not that type of person. I have changed my mind on TV appearances somewhat. Of course, I don’t want fame or to make money by appearing on TV, but I would not mind appearing on TV if it is related to what I am doing for football.
While completing the FIFA Master Course, Park studied sports humanities at De Montfort University in Leicester, England, for four months; sports management at SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy, for three months; and sports law at the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland for three months.
Q: Among the three courses, which part did you like most?
A: Every course was helpful for me. At first, I discovered my interest in sports management. I thought the sports law sector would be boring, but it was unexpectedly interesting.
Q: What else would you like to study?
A: Again? (Park shook his head.) As a matter of fact, I was asked to finish another sports-related course, but I turned that down. Now I want to have practical work experience based on what I’ve learned.
Q: Are you thinking about working for the Korea Football Association (KFA)?
A: It’s possible, but I would like to find a job in Europe. As Europe is more advanced in football administration, I would like to learn more there.
Speaking of the Korean national football team, Park emphasized that building trust among team members is the most important part. After taking the World Cup qualifying loss to Qatar, the KFA sacked the national team coach Uli Stielike in June and appointed Shin Tae-yong, the former under-20 national football team coach, as the new head coach last month. Korea currently ranks second with 13 points in Group A. For automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup, the team needs to have at least one win and one draw in its remaining matches. Korea will play Iran at home, Aug. 31, and an away match against Uzbekistan, Sept. 5.
Q: What are the odds Korea will make the World Cup?
A: 50 percent? (Park laughs.) I think the fact that the Korean national football team has to play against strong teams is more positive for Korea. Players will have extra motivation and this will have a positive effect on them. It is fortunate that the team plays Iran at home but we are not good against Uzbekistan in an away match. (Korea’s last win against Uzbekistan in an away match was in October, 1997.) I think Korea can make World Cup after defeating Iran at home and collecting a draw against Uzbekistan.
Q: What do you think is the biggest problem of the Korean national football team?
A: Some say the players are too lazy or there are factional disputes in the team, but I don’t think there is only one problem. There are tiny little issues in the team that add up to a big problem. The most important thing is how much they believe in each other. After all, it is the players who have to solve the issue.
Q: Are you saying it is the players who hold the answer?
A: Even if the team changes its coach, it is the players who have to accept that and take action. It is players who can gain the most from a change in the coaching staff.