'No, right? No!' Coach Hong Myung-bo suddenly appeared in the national team, Ulsan HD fans shed tears of regret
Jul 07, 2024
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Ulsan HD fans are shedding tears of regret. This is because Hong Myung-bo, who has put Ulsan at the top of the K-League for two consecutive years, is suddenly assigned to the national team.
The Korea Football Association appointed Ulsan HD coach Hong Myung-bo as the next coach of the national soccer team on the 7th. At 11 a.m. on the 8th, a briefing on the general director of the technical headquarters Lee Im-saeng will be held at the Korea Football Center.
After a long and long time, the coach of the A national team was decided. South Korean soccer has suffered internal strife since the Qatar Asian Cup, which ended in February. He stopped challenging in the semifinals and failed to achieve his dream of winning the championship. There were also rumors of division within the team. In the end, he broke up with manager Jurgen Klinsmann, who had led the team. Since then, the Korea Football Association (KFA) has started to find a new head coach.
Finding a new coach was not easy, either. Jeong Hae-sung, chairman of the National Power Reinforcement Committee, contacted the candidate group with the goal of 'Appointment within May'. However, negotiations with Jesse Machi, the first coach, and Jesus Casas, the second coach, broke down. Hwang Sun-hong, then coach of the Olympic team (current coach of Daejeon Hana Citizen), led the A match in March, and Kim Do-hoon, former coach of Ulsan, led the team temporarily in June.
The situation has deteriorated. Chairman Chung expressed his surprise resignation.
The final conclusion was Hong. Coach Hong is a South Korean soccer legend who does not need an explanation. He was the 'key' of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup semi-finals. It was Korea's eternal captain and eternal libero. He became the first leader to lead a bronze medal in Korean soccer history at the 2012 London Olympics. He also played in the Brazil World Cup while leading the A team from 2013 to 2014. After that, he served as the executive director of the Korea Football Association, and later moved to coach Ulsan and put Ulsan at the top. Ulsan won its second consecutive K-League championship in 2022 and 2023. Ulsan is also in fierce competition for the title this season, ranking second in the league.
epi17@sportschosun.com
