A quick fix? Moreno gets the nod
Summary
Robert Moreno has been named interim coach of Korea’s national football team until the end of November. The Korea Football Association said the Spanish coach will lead six matches starting Sept. 24 in Suwon against Ecuador. The short-term deal comes as the KFA tries to reset after backlash over recent coaching appointments and a poor World Cup. If results and performances go well, the contract could be extended through the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January.
Key Facts
- Moreno is 48 years old and previously coached Spain for nine games in 2019, along with AS Monaco, Granada and Sochi.
- Korea will face Ecuador on Sept. 24 in Suwon, followed by Uruguay in Seoul four days later.
- Korea will also play Venezuela and Uzbekistan at the start of October, with two more matches potentially planned for November.
- Moreno’s current contract runs until the end of November, and any extension could cover the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January, which Korea last won in 1960.
Then-Granada head coach Robert Moreno, left, greets Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti prior to the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Granada at the Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Feb. 6, 2022. AP-Yonhap
The search for the next coach for Korea's national football team is over — for a few weeks at least. On Tuesday, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced that Robert Moreno is going to be in charge until the end of November.
Moreno, 48, is the Spanish coach to take the hotseat in Seoul. His job is not just to get some good results in the six games — he has to try and help a nation forget what happened in the last few weeks and months. Discontent about the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as head coach in 2024 grew into anger after a dismal World Cup. There’s no need to go over it all again, but there is a general desire for a clean break.
KFA is being very careful this time around, going step by step and explaining everything that is happening in the hiring process, after accusations of skirting the rules to hire Hong and Jurgen Klinsmann before him.
Moreno was in charge for nine games for Spain in 2019 and has also coached leading clubs like France's AS Monaco, Spain's Granada and Russia’s Sochi. Reportedly, he impressed during the interview stage with a lengthy and detailed presentation that convinced listeners that he knew and understood Korean football.
This new era starts on Sept. 24 in Suwon in a match against Ecuador, before Uruguay comes to Seoul four days later. At the start of October, there are games against Venezuela and Uzbekistan, and potentially two more games will be arranged in November. At the end of that month, Moreno’s contract will expire.
His time may not come to an end, however. If everything goes well, it is likely that there will be an extension to at least cover the Asian Cup, which kicks off in Saudi Arabia in January — a tournament that Korea last won way back in 1960.
The process makes it seem like the KFA is desperate to avoid mistakes. Hiring people on short term contracts means that it is easier to see how it goes and change track if it goes poorly, but it also means that many potential coaches will not be interested. Whether it is the right method remains to be seen. However, it may not be a bad idea to see how a European coach like Moreno adapts to Korea on and off the field over the course of a few weeks or months before handing out a multiyear contract.
Results are always important but not the priority at the moment. If Moreno can produce some good performances and start to stamp some kind of identity on the team — which has been sorely lacking in the past three years or so — that would be a huge step forward.
It is crucial to give fans something to get excited about. If Moreno can do that, he will be in charge for longer than three months. If not, then we will be back to square one.
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