South Korea's new coach may compete with the national football team
Members of the South Korean Football Association have asked Chairman Chung Mong-kui to dismiss Klinsmann, sparking speculation that the new coach of the South Korean team will compete with the Chinese national team to select the coach.
The frustration within the Korean Football Association stems from Klinsmann's recent defeat in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. Despite his positive attitude after the game, fans and media were disappointed with the team's failure to reach the final. The Korean Football Association is considering firing Klinsmann, but that would require a termination fee of up to 7 billion won, equivalent to $5.25 million, leaving the Korean Football Association in a difficult decision.
Klinsmann has two and a half years left on his contract, and if the Korean Football Federation decides to fire him, he will have to pay a hefty termination fee. This is also one of the reasons why the Korean Football Association is hesitant. In addition, South Korea are currently leading the group standings in the World Championships, which further complicates the decision on whether Klinsmann will stay.
Although his performance in the Asian Cup was not satisfactory, the team's last victory against China was considered one of the best matches of the past year. In this case, there is still debate as to whether the Korean Football Association should rush to make a decision.
In addition, the World Cup qualifiers round of 36 will start in mid-March, and the Korean Football Association will face a tight time crunch with back-to-back matches against Thailand. If the decision is made to sack Klinsmann, they need to identify a new manager as soon as possible.
Rumours suggest that former Qatar coach Queiroz and former Oman coach Ivankovic are expected to be candidates for South Korea. At the same time, however, the two coaches are also eyeing other teams, with Queiroz already close to Algeria and Ivankovic receiving offers from other countries in Africa and Asia. This makes it more difficult for the Korean Football Association to find a suitable replacement in a short period of time.
It is worth noting that the selection of a new coach may compete with the selection of the Chinese national team. The Chinese national team has also been looking for a new head coach recently, while the competition between South Korea and China has always existed. If South Korea chooses an alternative such as Queiroz or Ivankovic, these coaches could also be candidates for the Chinese team, sparking a potential rivalry.
As the countdown to class ticked, Klinsmann was embattled
On the afternoon of February 15, Klinsmann, who was far away in the United States, attended a meeting of the Korean Football Association's internal strengthening committee via video link, at which he was severely criticized, and the meeting almost turned into a meeting of criticism against him. While a minority of the committee members supported him, most felt that his lack of management, tactical preparation, and failure to deliver on his promises had led to a loss of public trust.
Klinsmann was a bit "hard-mouthed" in the face of the committee members' doubts, and he did not admit his tactical shortcomings and did not agree with his management dereliction of duty. However, he could not deny that the Jordanian team's lack of tactical preparation for the game, as well as the failure caused by the team's internal management problems, made his situation even more difficult.
However, despite the pressure on Klinsmann to step down, the Korean Football Association is not a word, and the final decision is still in the hands of the chairman. Chung Mong-kyu, the president of the Korean Football Association, will have to make a big decision, and he will need to weigh the risks and costs of firing Klinsmann, as well as the impact on the future development of the team.
Changing the manager will not be easy, and the Korean Football Association needs to find a suitable replacement as soon as possible. There is news that they are considering the possibility of creating an interim coaching staff, and Hong Myung-bo, Choi Yong-so and others were mentioned. However, the final decision is yet to be made by the Executive Committee and the President of the Korean Football Association.
The whole incident fully illustrates the turbulent situation in South Korean football, and Klinsmann's fate will affect the future development of the Korean team. The countdown to his dismissal has begun, but the final result still depends on the approval of the president of the Korean Football Association. At this tense moment, the Korean football community is waiting for the chairman's decision.