Nat'l football head coach 'surprised' by KFA chief's resignation offer
Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, speaks to reporters before a training session for the FIFA World Cup at Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, Utah, Friday (local time). Yonhap
HERRIMAN, United States — The head coach of the South Korean men's football team said Friday he was "surprised" by the national football chief's decision to resign after the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu announced Friday afternoon (South Korean time) that he will step down after the end of the World Cup in July. It was 10:30 p.m. Thursday here in the state of Utah, where Hong and his players have been training for the big tournament for the past two weeks.
Hong Myung-bo, the team's head coach, was informed of Chung's decision about two hours ahead of time through a video conference with the outgoing boss. Chung, who first took the KFA's helm in 2013, then told a few senior players about his future.
"It came out of nowhere, and I was surprised," Hong told reporters before a training session at Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, located near Salt Lake City. "I think we will keep doing our job the way we always have. We held our own meeting to talk about what we have to do going forward."
When asked about the vibe among the players in light of Chung's resignation offer, Hong said: "I think it's OK. I can see today that the guys are just going about their business, and I didn't get the sense that they were rattled by this news."
It is highly unusual for the head of a national football federation to express an intent to quit only days before the World Cup. South Korea's first match will be June 11 in Mexico against Czechia.
As part of their preparation, South Korea will play Trinidad and Tobago in a friendly at BYU South Field on the campus of Brigham Young University at 7 p.m. Saturday (local time), or 10 a.m. Sunday (South Korean time).
Hong said Jens Castrop, a German-born midfielder with a Korean mother, will likely get a start as a wingback.
Castrop has been deployed as a midfielder in earlier matches with the national team, but Hong said he will explore ways to maximize Castrop's versatility.
A wingback in Hong's back-three formation will be asked to help out a trio of center backs on defense and also drive the attack on the flank.
Castrop has thrived on the wing for his German club Borussia Monchengladbach, though Hong hasn't yet had a chance to test him there because of injuries.
Hong also said Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom will see some minutes as he works his way back from an ankle injury.
Hwang was ruled out of his club season in March with the injury and has been working with the national team medical staff in a bid to return in time for the World Cup.
"He will see some action, although he may not be able to start," Hong said. "The player himself knows just how much he can play in his current physical state."
Elsewhere, Hong revealed that Gangwon FC's Lee Gi-hyuk, considered the biggest surprise in the squad with just one international cap so far, will start as a central defender.
"He has been in great form, and he has proven himself in the K League," the coach said. "I've been talking to him about a few things that he has to fix."
Up front, Besiktas forward Oh Hyeon-gyu is dealing with a minor injury, leaving Cho Gue-sung of FC Midtjylland and Son Heung-min of Los Angeles Football Club as the remaining options.
Hong said he is mostly content with the way training camp has gone so far.
"Honestly, there aren't that many positions that I am worried about. If things go as planned, I don't think I will see issues with any particular position," he said. "The players had some difficulties training in the high altitude early on, and they were slow to recover. But they have made their adjustments."
When told South Korea may have an edge over Czechia thanks to their altitude training -- with the match being played in another elevated city of Guadalajara -- Hong said: "We're not going to think about that. We will have to be fully prepared to win the first match."