Meet the candidates for interim coach of Korea's national football team
Robert Moreno / Yonhap
With four friendly matches ahead, fans looking for someone who can overcome shortcoming of ex-coach Hong Myung-bo
The field of candidates for the interim head coach position of the Korean national football team is beginning to take shape.
According to football officials, five candidates who applied for the Korea Football Association's (KFA) open recruitment for an interim national team coach have passed the document screening stage.
All five are foreign, with three holding Spanish nationality, including Robert Moreno and Jesús Casas, both of whom have previously been considered for the job. The other two are Dutch coach Erwin Koeman and Serbian coach Dragan Stojković.
Moreno was interviewed by the Korea Football Association in 2023 during its search for a successor to Paulo Bento. He ultimately lost out to Jürgen Klinsmann, who was appointed head coach.
Jesús Casas / Yonhap
Casas was also interviewed during the 2024 search for a new national team coach. At the time, he was managing the Iraq national team. The position eventually went to Hong Myung-bo.
Both coaches have now received another opportunity to take charge of the Korean national team.
Moreno, the youngest of the five candidates, has experience managing the Spanish national team. He took over when current Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique temporarily stepped away to care for his daughter.
Moreno subsequently continued his club coaching career with Monaco, Granada and Sochi, among others.
After his first attempt to become Korea's head coach ended unsuccessfully in 2023, Moreno has now made a second bid for the position.
Casas is in a similar situation. His experience managing Iraq gave him considerable exposure to Asian football, and he currently coaches Singaporean club Lion City Sailors.
Former Korean national men's football team coach Hong Myung-bo, who resigned after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, attends a parliamentary hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 30. Yonhap
This time, Casas has re-emerged as one of the candidates to succeed Hong.
The third Spanish candidate is Domenec Torrent, who is best known for his long association with Pep Guardiola. Torrent served as Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City for an extended period before embarking on his own managerial career.
While Moreno and Casas have experience managing national teams, Torrent's strength lies in having worked closely within a world-class club system alongside one of the game's most successful coaches.
Dutch coach Erwin Koeman is a familiar name to Korean football fans. During his time as an assistant coach at Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven, he worked with Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo.
His previous experience working directly with Korean players could distinguish him from the other candidates. He may also have a basic understanding of Korean players and the country's football culture.
Dragan Stojković, who previously managed the Serbian national team, attracted attention after being linked with the Korea national team job. He was reportedly particularly keen on becoming Korea's permanent head coach.
Given his previous interest in the full-time position, he may be considered one of the candidates best prepared to take the job, even though the current opening is only for an interim role.
Former Uruguay and Bordeaux coach Gus Poyet, who had also been touted as a leading candidate in Japan, failed to advance through the document screening stage.
No domestic Korean coaches are reportedly included among the shortlisted candidates.
The five finalists will now be interviewed by the Korea Football Association. Online interviews are scheduled to take place on Aug. 20 and 21.
Having passed the initial document screening, the candidates will now be assessed more directly on their coaching philosophy, plans for managing the national team and willingness to take on the unique challenges of an interim position.
The temporary nature of the role is expected to be an important consideration. Unlike a permanent head coach, who can establish a long-term project from the outset, the interim manager will have to understand the team quickly and produce results within a limited period.
The interim coach will oversee six matches in total — four A-match friendlies in September and October and two more in November. Tactical ability, as well as the ability to quickly adapt to the squad and establish authority within the team, could therefore be key factors in the KFA's evaluation.
Following the online interviews, the KFA is expected to rank the candidates for negotiations based on its assessment.
Entrance of the Korea Football Association headquarters in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province / Yonhap
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.