Ex-Spain head coach Robert Moreno named temporary manager for men's nat'l football team
Former Spain head coach Robert Moreno / Captured from Instagram
Former Spain head coach Robert Moreno was named the temporary manager of the Korean men's national football team Tuesday.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) approved Moreno's nomination during its board meeting at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul.
Moreno, 48, will be in charge of Korea's next six international matches.
The Taegeuk Warriors will host Ecuador on Sept. 24, Uruguay on Sept. 28, Venezuela on Oct. 2 and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6.
The KFA is also trying to schedule two more matches inside the Nov. 9-17 FIFA international window.
After those November matches, Korea will compete in the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia starting in January.
The KFA said Moreno is signed through Nov. 27 but he will be given a chance to serve in a full-time role for the Asian Cup, depending on the team's performance this fall.
The men's national team head coaching position had been vacant since Hong Myung-bo resigned in late June to take the fall for the country's group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup.
Instead of rushing to hire a full-time replacement ahead of the September-October match period, the KFA opted to hire a caretaker boss instead.
Moreno coached his native Spain for nine matches in 2019, with Luis Enrique on a leave of absence. Moreno then went on to coach three clubs — AS Monaco in France, Granada in Spain and FC Sochi in Russia.
Moreno previously worked as a scout for FC Barcelona and served as an assistant for Enrique at AS Roma, Celta Vigo and FC Barcelona.
"Even at a relatively young age, he has coached one of the very best clubs in the world and has led national teams," the KFA said. "He is able to formulate tactics and analyze opponents using advanced data."
The KFA also hired a five-man backroom staff that will work with Moreno, including top assistant Eduardo Docampo, who had been with Moreno at Sochi, and veteran analyst Jacint Magrina.
The KFA said its National Teams Committee, responsible for appointing national team coaches, interviewed a handful of foreign-born candidates after reviewing their applications, and finalized its negotiations with Moreno and his staff over the weekend.
"Considering a high level of national interest in the fairness of the process, we tried our best to meet the standards set by our top national sports committee," National Teams Committee chief Hyun Young-min said. "Moreno impressed us with his thorough understanding of Korean football and his ability to propose a wide range of tactical alternatives. We hope he and his new staff will help improve our national team's performance."