South Korea's national football manager, Hong Myung-bo, has tendered his resignation following the team's disappointing group stage exit from the World Cup. The announcement comes after intense condemnation from the country's president, Lee Jae Myung, who openly criticised Hong's leadership and called for a comprehensive review of the national team's operations.
The Taegeuk Warriors' World Cup journey began with a promising victory against the Czech Republic, securing a comeback win. However, their subsequent matches saw them fall to defeats against South Africa and Mexico, ultimately sealing their fate. Despite hopes of progressing as one of the eight best third-placed teams in the expanded tournament format, this possibility evaporated when DR Congo secured a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan on Saturday, ensuring South Korea's elimination.
President Lee Jae Myung did not hold back in his assessment, branding the 57-year-old coach as 'incapable.' In a strongly worded statement, Lee, a former honorary professional football club chairman, expressed 'deep bewilderment at this unexpected result.' He further added, 'If loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence and an incapable person is appointed as a leader, the outcome is as predictable as fire,' and urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to intervene and reform sports administration.
The public sentiment mirrored the president's fury, with local broadcaster KBS notably blurring Hong's face during reports of the team's early departure. Hong, in turn, issued an apology to the Korean fans before the team departed its base camp in Mexico on Sunday. 'To all of the Korean people who love and support our national team, I would like to genuinely apologise. Today, I’d like to announce that I will step down as the national team head coach,' he stated, accepting full responsibility for the outcome.
This marks Hong's second tenure with the national side, having previously led them at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they also failed to progress beyond the group stage. South Korea boasts a strong World Cup pedigree, with 11 consecutive appearances, and notably reached the semi-finals when co-hosting the tournament in 2002. Hong's resignation now leaves the South Korean Football Association searching for a new leader to guide the team forward.