Korean coach blasts Chinese football club for 'EXCESSIVE' management meddling

Hong Myung-bo / Korea Times file

By Lee Han-soo

Hong Myung-bo, the former Korean national football player turned Chinese football club manager, has blasted his Chinese club’s management for unexplained interference during his tenure.

Hong signed a two-year contract with Hangzhou Greentown FC in December 2015, but resigned as manager on Friday after a continued slump.

"I am not trying to excuse myself as I am responsible for the slump,” Hong told Chosun Ilbo. “However, I wanted to reveal the absurd management of the Chinese football club.”

Hong said the intervention was beyond imagination.

"In February of this year, I was suddenly told by the club’s general manager that I had to put 10 players in their 20s into the starting lineup," he said.“I did not know any of the players.”

The interference got worse from there, according to Hong, with management ordering him to substitute at least four to five players under 20 in each game.

“At one time, the club chief executive sat on the bench during games and started ordering strategies,” said Hong.

Under the club’s orders, members of the starting squad started losing their spots.

"Good players had to leave the starting squad to make room for the 20-year-olds, who were nowhere near as good as they were,” said Hong. “The worst part was that the players who trained hard lost their chance to play.”