Hong’s time is surely over
Whatever happens in the coming days, Hong Myung-bo’s time as head coach of South Korea is surely over. Regardless of whether the team squeezes into the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, there has to be a change. The coach’s two-year spell will be defined by the question posed by a reporter after the 1-0 loss to South Africa in Monterey in the final game of Group A. He wanted to know if there had been an outbreak of food poisoning or some other issue behind the scenes that could explain such a dismal performance. The video has gone viral around the world, and many see it as amusing. For Korean fans, however, it is hard to smile. Just to recap: The tournament started with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic that had people talking of the Taeguk Warriors as dark horses. Then came a poor defeat against Mexico, when the tactics seemed to be to play for a draw. Still, only a point was needed against South Africa to secure second place and a game in Los Angeles in the next round. Instead came a truly terrible performance against one of the lowest-ranked teams in the tournam
