Football officials recommend firing Klinsmann as Korea head coach
Hwangbo Kwan, the technical director of the Korea Football Association, speaks to reporters following the National Team Committee’s meeting at the KFA House in Seoul, Thursday. The committee members decided to recommend the KFA’s executive board to dismiss Jurgen Klinsmann as head coach of the men’s national team after Korea made a disappointing semifinal exit at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar last week. Yonhap
Korean football officials on Thursday recommended the dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann as head coach of the men's national team on Thursday after the country's disappointing semifinal exit at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
The National Team Committee of the Korea Football Association (KFA) reached its decision during its postmortem meeting at the KFA House in Seoul, putting the ball in the court of their besieged leader to make the final call.
Klinsmann attended the meeting on a video conference from his U.S. home.
After three-plus hours of meeting, Hwangbo Kwan, the KFA's technical director, told reporters the committee members had agreed to call for Klinsmann's firing.
"For a number of reasons, we concluded that Klinsmann would no longer be able to show his leadership as head coach of the national team," Hwangbo said. "We will report our conclusion to the KFA."
Korea lost to Jordan 2-0 in the semifinals of the top AFC tournament in Qatar last week, unable to end the country's 64-year title drought. Klinsmann has been under growing pressure to resign for failing to guide a talented Korean squad — featuring Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, among others — to the long-coveted AFC championship.
Since the National Team Committee is not a decision-making body, it can only make recommendations to the KFA's Executive Board, which will have the final say.
KFA President Chung Mong-gyu, who has also been hearing calls to quit for hiring Klinsmann in the first place, will be the person in charge of that fateful decision on the beleaguered coach.
Football fans stage a protest urging Head Coach of the Men's National Team Jurgen Klinsmann and Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu to resign in Jongno District, Seoul, Feb. 15. Korea Time photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Several protesters braved rainy and windy conditions earlier in the day to set up camp outside the KFA headquarters and call on both Klinsmann and Chung to resign.
Hwangbo said the decision to recommend Klinsmann's dismissal was not unanimous. Some members said the KFA should keep Klinsmann aboard for now with World Cup qualifying matches coming up in March.
Klinsmann was appointed Korea's head coach in February last year. He coached his first match in March, a 2-2 draw against Colombia, and the team went winless in Klinsmann's first five games before finishing the 2023 season on a five-match winning streak.
Korea then beat Iraq 1-0 on Jan. 6 in their final tuneup before the Asian Cup. In the first group match of the tournament, Korea, world No. 23, beat 86th-ranked Bahrain 3-1.
It ended up being the team's only victory in 90 minutes.
They were held to a 2-2 draw by 87th-ranked Jordan in the next match, salvaging a point thanks to a late own goal by their opponent. Then Korea settled for a 3-3 draw against No. 130 Malaysia after giving up a stoppage-time equalizer to the massive underdog.
In the round of 16, Korea beat Saudi Arabia 4-2 on penalties, after Cho Gue-sung's 99th-minute header rescue them from the brink of defeat.
Korea staged another late rally to knock off Australia 2-1, with Hwang Hee-chan converting a 96th-minute penalty and Son netting a free kick goal 14 minutes into extra time.
Korea's Son Heung-Min, right, looks dejected after the match against Jordan, in Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar, Feb. 6. Reuters-Yonhap
Their magic ran out in a rematch against Jordan in the semifinals. Korea didn't even muster a shot on goal, as Jordan capitalized on Korean miscues en route to a clean-sheet win.
Along the way, Klinsmann faced much the same criticism that had dogged him from the early days of his tenure — that he had very little to offer in the way of tactical instruction. Long before taking over Korea, Klinsmann had been labeled as a coach who lacked X's and O's chops.
"During the meeting, participants said we were not tactically prepared to play Jordan in the semifinals, even though we were playing them for the second time," Hwangbo noted.
During the Asian Cup, Klinsmann was also blasted for smiling at inappropriate moments — including in the immediate aftermath of Korea's loss to Jordan, when he flashed a grin and congratulated his counterpart, Hussein Ammouta, on Jordan's win even as several Korean players were shedding tears on the pitch.
Klinsmann was seen as more of a motivator-type coach whose relentless optimism brought some levity to Korea's pressure-filled pursuit of their first Asian Cup crown since 1960.
But Klinsmann's leadership skills have also been questioned this week, when it was belatedly revealed that some key players came to blows over table tennis on the eve of the semifinals.
According to sources familiar with the incident, captain Son Heung-min dislocated a finger in his right hand in a scuffle with midfielder Lee Kang-in, who had ignored Son's order to stop playing table tennis and rejoin the team dinner. Klinsmann is said to have been present at the scene but could not prevent the dustup.
According to Hwangbo, Klinsmann claimed that discord within the team affected Korea's performance on the field and did not acknowledge his lack of tactical preparation.
Klinsmann has also been criticized for spending more time overseas than in Korea and not giving enough attention to the domestic K League. Klinsmann has made a few scouting trips to Europe to watch Korean players based there. Klinsmann's detractors have said he should follow the Korean league and try to uncover new talent, instead of wasting his time following players whose places on the national team are already secure.
Korea's German coach Jurgen Klinsmann gives instructions during the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup semi-final football match between Jordan and Korea at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha on Feb. 6. AFP-Yonhap
"Some committee members said the coach has not shown willingness to watch players in person and identify talent," Hwangbo said. "Also, there were opinions that Klinsmann has been disrespectful toward the Korean public by not spending enough time in the country. Some said the public's trust in him has been damaged beyond repair because he has broken many promises."
Klinsmann defied earlier calls to step down. At his postmatch press conference following the semifinals and again at the airport media scrum upon arriving back in Korea, Klinsmann was asked if he would take the fall for Korea's showing and quit. On both occasions, he said his only plan was to review the team's performance at the tournament with the KFA and begin preparing for two World Cup qualifying matches against Thailand in March.
He will not get the chance to coach Korea in those matches, if Chung decides to follow the National Team Committee's recommendation and sack him. (Yonhap)