Fans prefer foreigner to Korean as new national football coach

South Koreans prefer to see a foreign national rather than a homegrown coach take over the men's national football team following this year's FIFA World Cup, a poll showed Friday.

In a survey of 1,002 adults conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 40 percent of the respondents said they want to see a foreign head coach, compared with 36 percent who said they'd like to see a South Korean take the job.

The remaining 24 percent either said they had no preference or they declined to answer.

Gallup Korea said 44 percent of the men and 35 percent of the women wanted to see a foreign coach.

With South Korean Shin Tae-yong at the helm, the Taeguk Warriors were eliminated in the group stage at the World Cup in Russia with one win and two losses. Shin's deal expires at the end of this month, and the Korea Football Association (KFA) is looking to name a new coach -- though Shin is still one of the candidates for the position.

The rumor mill has churned out names such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title; Vahid Halilhodzic, former Algeria and Japan boss; and Jurgen Klinsmann, a German legend who's coached Germany and the United States national teams.

In the same poll, fans selected one or two of the most impressive players from the World Cup, and South Korean goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo was No. 1, with 47 percent of the support. The unheralded custodian got the starting nod over veterans and rose to the occasion, holding Mexico, Sweden and Germany to three goals combined. Jo was named the Man of the Match in South Korea's stunning 2-0 victory over Germany.

Son Heung-min, Tottenham Hotspur forward who netted two of South Korea's three goals in Russia, came next with 42 percent. Kylian Mbappe, a teenage sensation for the champions France, was third at 15 percent.

Gallup Korea said 58 percent of the polled said they were still happy with the national team's showing even though they didn't make it past the group stage. After South Korea also failed to reach the knockout round in 2014, only 23 percent had said they were pleased. (Yonhap)