'Leaving Europe'Lee Im-saeng, director of KFA, interviewed by national team director'Ki Sung-yong teacher'Foyet+'Separately recommended' Wagner

Jul 02, 2024

'Leaving Europe'Lee Im-saeng, director of KFA, interviewed by national team director'Ki Sung-yong teacher'Foyet'Separately recommended' Wagner
Reuters Yonhap News



'Leaving Europe'Lee Im-saeng, director of KFA, interviewed by national team director'Ki Sung-yong teacher'Foyet'Separately recommended' Wagner
Reuters Yonhap News
'Leaving Europe'Lee Im-saeng, director of KFA, interviewed by national team director'Ki Sung-yong teacher'Foyet'Separately recommended' Wagner
Football Hall/ KFA Technical Philosophy Presentation Event/ Lee Im-saeng, Technical Director of the Korea Football Association/ KFA Game Model and Application/ Photo by Jung Jae-hoon
The reality of finding the national coach, which has been crippling, is being revealed.

Lee Im-saeng, technical director of the Korea Football Association (KFA), who took the helm on behalf of the resigned chairman of the Korea Electric Power Reinforcement Committee, left for Europe on the 2nd. It's for a face-to-face interview. The outline of the candidates to meet in person has been revealed. A person familiar with the situation in the soccer community told Sports Chosun that "Lee is scheduled to meet former Greek national team coach Gus Foyet (57) and former Norwich City coach David Wagner (53).

Chairman Chung expressed his resignation on the 28th. KFA, which was panicked, decided that it could no longer delay the appointment of the A national team head coach, so it entrusted the role to director Lee Im-saeng. He already presided over the first video conference with the members of the committee 30 days ago. However, some 'old members' were absent from the meeting, which eventually led to the resignation of the members. Several members reportedly expressed their intention to resign to the director. In other words, the 'Jeonghae Seong-ho Jeon Gang-wi', which has been sailing since February, has virtually collapsed.



In a bewildering atmosphere, there was no time for further delay. The director continued to move according to the set time table. They decided to meet high-ranking foreign candidates in person. Initially, Chairman Chung held a non-face-to-face meeting with them. However, it is known that he was in conflict with the leaders of the KFA over the need for face-to-face interviews. This is why the director proceeded quickly to Europe. Since it's hard to meet many candidates in time, I chose Foyet and Wagner.

Foyet was one of 12 candidates, including the national coach. At the 9th meeting of the 12 candidates, he reportedly received the highest score among foreign candidates along with Iraqi coach Jesus Casas. Uruguayan coach Foye was a star player who played for Chelsea and Tottenham during his active days. Foyet, who turned into a leader after retiring in 2004, took the post of Brighton manager in 2009. Coach Foyet, who received attention by leading his team to the first league (third division) in the 2010-2011 season and fourth place in the 2012-2013 season championship, took the helm of Sunderland in October 2013 when he played in the English Premier League at the time. Rebounding the relegation team, he rose to 14th place and finished second in the League Cup. In particular, he made a strong impression on domestic fans by aggressively utilizing Ki Sung-yueng, who was hired on loan.



Foyet, who stepped down from Sunderland in 2015 due to poor performance, went through AEK Athens in Greece, Real Betis in Spain, Shenhua in Shanghai, China, Bordeaux in France, and Cattolica in Chile. Until recently, he led the Greek national team. He is an attractive candidate in that he has gone through so-called big leagues such as England, Spain, and France, and has even experienced the national team. Through Ki Sung-yueng, he also formed a relationship with Korea. However, in reality, it is unlikely that the KFA will accept the ransom set by the KFA. It is also important to note that he is a Uruguayan who has been at odds with racism several times, including the recent Rodrigo Bentancourt incident.

Wagner was not included in the original 12. Four candidates were added at the 10th meeting, one of which was head coach Wagner. It was reported that it was recommended by a member of the younger faction A, who opposed former Ulsan coach Kim Do-hoon, who was mentioned as a strong candidate among domestic players. It was included late, but it was named as a finalist. It is known that some high-ranking officials in the KFA are actively supporting Wagner.



Wagner, who was from Germany but chose to play for the U.S. national team, was an ordinary player who passed the German Bundesliga 1 and 2. Following his retirement, he followed his best friend, Jurgen Klopp, as manager of Dortmund 2. Wagner, who showed promise here, was appointed as Huddersfield's first non-common coach in 2015. Coach Wagner achieved an unexpected promotion in the 2016-2017 season and even succeeded in staying the next year. After leaving Huddersfield in 2019, he led Germany's Schalke and Switzerland's Young Voice, but failed to leave a big mark. Until recently, he led the championship Norwich City. He also coached Hwang Ui-jo in Norwich City.

Wagner's advantage is that his salary is low. However, the disadvantage is that his career has continued to decline recently and he has no experience as a national coach.

After returning home, Lee plans to continue his interview with domestic director candidates. Based on the results of the director's interview, the KFA plans to select the final candidates through a comprehensive evaluation with existing candidates, Australian coach Graham Arnold.



vanbasten@sportschosun.com