Missed the Olympics for the first time in 40 years! Korean media: The dark age of Korean football has arrived
On April 26, Beijing time, it was originally an ordinary day for South Korean football, but because of a U-23 Asian Cup quarterfinals, it became a historic milestone, and this milestone was the beginning of the nightmare of South Korean football. In the match against Indonesia, the two sides played to a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes of tug-of-war. As a result, in the penalty shootout, the South Korean team lost 10-11 in a "heart endurance" test. South Korea were eliminated in this fateful match,
The South Korean media exploded at this time, and a wave of pessimism and despair spread. The headline "The Dark Age of Korean Football Has Arrived!" questioned the Football Association's decision-making and demanded the resignation of Korean Football Association President Chung Mong-kyu.
They have been able to reach the Olympic finals every time since Seoul 1988, making it nine times in a row, making them a source of pride for South Korean football. This time they failed in the quarter-finals and completely disqualified from the Paris Olympics. Perhaps it was a prank of history, but the last time the South Korean team missed the Olympics was back in Los Angeles 1984, 40 years ago. And now, they "braked" in front of the weak team of Indonesia and fell in front of the gate of the Paris Olympics.
If there's a surprise to say about this defeat, the FIFA rankings are probably the most straightforward statistic. Indonesia is in 134th place in the rankings, a full 111 places below South Korea's 23rd. It is an out-and-out duel between "giants" and "dwarves", and it stands to reason that Indonesia is not the opponent of the South Korean team at all. Reality tells us that there is no such thing as a sure win on the football field. Rankings are just numbers, and whoever plays well at critical moments will be the winner. The South Korean team, on the other hand, obviously did not play well. It was in the year of the Seoul Olympics that the South Korean team began a magical journey to the finals of the Olympic Games, and now, the record has come to an abrupt end. The mood of Korean fans is understandable.
In contrast, the Indonesian team is simply a dark horse among the dark horses! Under the leadership of head coach Shin Tai Long, they have made great progress to the semi-finals of the U23 Asian Cup for the first time. It wasn't a casual result, as they beat Australia and Jordan in the group stage and then South Korea in the quarter-finals. This series of victories has completely subverted people's perception of Asian football.
However, the most heart-wrenching thing is what this defeat means for the players of the South Korean Olympic team, who have lost their qualification for the Paris Olympics and most of the team's players will have to serve in the military. For young professionals, it's hard to accept. They were supposed to show their quality and potential in Paris, but now, their careers could be interrupted for two years. This is not only a huge blow to themselves, but also a problem for the future of Korean football.
Of course, South Korea's reach for the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has left fans excited. But then all sorts of ups and downs began, first, in the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, they were beaten 2-0 by Jordan, and now, they were eliminated by Indonesia in the U23 Asian Cup, and South Korean football fell from the top to the bottom.
The controversy over Klinsmann's appointment continues to ferment, the Korean Football Association chose a coach who is not very optimistic at this time, Paulo Bento, the young man resigned after the Qatar World Cup, and Klinsmann took over, which should have been a new starting point, but the result was a time bomb for Korean football. People have said that he is the worst coach in the history of the Korean national team. Now that the Korean Football Association has a green face, it has to find a way to explain why it chose such a controversial coach.
The South Korean media fired on this time, pointing at Zheng Mengkui, saying that the irrational behavior of the Korean Football Association ruined the precious wealth of Korean football. First chose such a controversial coach, and then caused such a big mess in the U23 Asian Cup. shouted for Zheng Mengkui to get out of class. Zheng Mengkui's position as chairman of the Korean Football Association is in jeopardy, because the South Korean team will not qualify for the Paris Olympics, and someone will have to carry this pot! Originally, he planned to continue his fourth term, but now it seems that this dream is about to come to naught.