Klinsmann is out of class! All three teams in the same group of the national football team in the round of 36 have changed coaches, and South Korea may be temporarily led by a local coach

On the afternoon of February 16, according to South Korean media reports, Zheng Mengkui, chairman of the Korean Football Association, decided to fire the current German coach of the South Korean team, Klinsmann, after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with senior representatives of the Football Association that morning. At about 1 p.m. local time on the 16th, Klinsmann, who was on vacation in the United States, sent a letter of thanks to the South Korean team players through his personal social platform, which means that the Korean Football Association has sent the notice of dismissal to Klinsmann himself.

So far, the Korean Football Association has not revealed who will lead the South Korean team as the coach to participate in the round of 36 of the World Preliminary Championship in late March. However, some media analysts said that the Korean Football Association may temporarily appoint an interim coaching staff with domestic coaches as the main members to lead the team before selecting suitable candidates.

In the 18th Asian Cup football tournament that just ended, South Korea, as one of the favorites to win the championship, was eliminated 0-2 by Jordan, the third pot team of the tournament, in the semi-finals, which means that the Korean team's record of missing the Asian Cup for 64 consecutive years will be rewritten. Due to the team's recruitment of a number of star players who play in European giants, including Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Gang-in, this year's South Korean team has high hopes from all walks of life in South Korea. Therefore, the result of the team being blocked by the Jordanian team from the Asian Cup final made South Korean fans, the media, and even the Korean Football Association feel disappointed and dissatisfied, and the call for "Klinsmann's resignation" is endless.

Because of this, the Korean Football Association held a special meeting of the National Team Power Enhancement Committee (equivalent to the combination of the technical department and the national team management department) at the association's headquarters in Seoul, South Korea on the morning of the 15th local time to discuss whether to retain Klinsmann. The day's meeting lasted three and a half hours. Nine members of the committee, headed by German expert Michael Müller, attended the meeting in person, while Klinsmann, who had returned to his home in the United States on the 10th, participated online. However, after explaining the reasons for the team's work and poor performance in this Asian Cup, Klinsmann "went offline" in advance and waited for the delivery. After deliberation, the Korea Football Association's National Team Power Enhancement Committee unanimously agreed to "dismiss Klinsmann" and submitted the relevant motion to the chairman of the association, Chung Mong-kyu.

South Korean media quoted the official statement of the Korean Football Association as saying that members of the association's leadership had further communication on the matter at noon local time on the 16th. After communicating with other senior members of the association for two and a half hours, Zheng Mengkui finally decided to fire Klinsmann and informed the coach of their decision as soon as possible.

Zheng Mengkui

So far, the Korean Football Association has not revealed other details of the "breakup" with Klinsmann. However, according to the information reported by the local media, once the Korean Football Association fires Klinsmann, it will face paying no less than $5 million in termination compensation to the other party.

With Klinsmann confirming his resignation, his South Korean team's record is locked at 8 wins, 6 draws and 3 losses (excluding the Asian Cup 1/8 final elimination of Saudi Arabia through a penalty shootout). Although they did not lose many games, South Korea lost the Asian Cup semi-finals under his command. In addition, his long-term work outside South Korea and the scandal of infighting during the Asian Cup of the Korean team have also been criticized by all walks of life in South Korea, and at the same time accelerated his dismissal.

It is worth noting that after Klinsmann was fired by the South Korean Football Association, the three opponents of the Chinese team in the round of 36, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea, have all changed coaches, and the Chinese Football Association is currently promoting the change of coach of the national football team.

Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Yun