First steps on long journey for Korean football
Summary
Korea began a new era in football with a 3-0 win over Ecuador on Thursday. Robert Moreno has been named interim head coach for the next six games after Korea’s poor 2026, including a World Cup group-stage exit. The team will next face Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan, with two more November matches still unscheduled.
Key Facts
- Former coach Hong Myung-bo’s World Cup exit led to a parliamentary hearing and a police investigation.
- Moreno’s contract runs until the end of November, and he could stay on longer if results and performances go well.
- Korea has not won the Asian Cup since 1960.
- Moreno previously coached Monaco, Granada and Sochi after leaving Spain’s national team setup.
Son Heung-min shakes hands with Korean national team interim head coach Robert Moreno during a friendly against Ecuador at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Yonhap
A new era in Korean football started Thursday with a 3-0 win over Ecuador. It was not about the visitors from South America but very much about the home team. After Korea's terrible 2026, the Taeguk Warriors seem finally to be focused on football.
Former coach Hong Myung-bo's disastrous showing at the World Cup led to the team's exit in the group stage, a parliamentary hearing and a police investigation. After all that, Robert Moreno has been selected as interim head coach for the next six games. After the friendly with Ecuador comes matches with Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan, followed by two more games in November that have yet to be arranged.
If all goes well, Moreno — whose contract expires at the end of November — is likely to be handed the position for a longer term. Considering the team's recent lows, it would have to go quite badly for the Spaniard not to get an extension. This could include coaching the team for the Asian Cup in January, a tournament that Korea has not won since 1960. The question is whether Morena can stay for longer.
Robert Moreno, interim head coach for the Korean men's national football team, speaks during a press conference for the upcoming friendly against Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
His resume looks good on the surface but a closer examination reveals some concerning areas. Taking charge of current world champion Spain, in 2019 was a definite plus but his run was not without controversy. He took over from Luis Enrique, who stepped down for family reasons, but was then dismissed by Enrique on his return after nine games away. “I do not want anyone with that personality on my staff,” Enrique said. “Ambition is a virtue but over-ambition is not. It is a great defect. That is why I took the decision I took. I told him that day that I didn’t ever see him as a No 2 on my staff.”
It ended a successful relationship and Moreno went into club coaching. First was Monaco in France, then Granada in Spain and then Sochi in Russia. He lasted less than a year in the first two jobs and 20 months in the last, but tthe Russian club accused him of relying too much on artificial intelligence (AI) to do his job. Moreno denied the allegation, saying he only used AI for translation.
There is a lot riding on this for everyone. The coach, who apparently impressed in the interview and presentation, wants a new start — as does the team, the fans, the media and pretty much everyone.
The World Cup was such a low point that even modest improvement will be celebrated. Results are not important at this stage, but some good performances and exciting play are needed. It will take time to put a smile back on the face of Korean football fans, but at least that journey has finally started.
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