Director Hong Myung-bo finally opened his mouth. "It was really painful, and I felt like I was robbed." (Full Story)
Jul 10, 2024
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Coach Hong led the 22nd round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2024' against Gwangju FC at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on the 10th. In a chaotic atmosphere, Ulsan failed to regain the lead by losing 0-1 to Gwangju. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on the 7th that it has appointed Hong as the next commander of the national team.
Lee Im-saeng, general director of KFA's technical headquarters, said on the 8th "The association appointed Hong Myung-bo as the new coach of the national soccer team preparing for the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. The contract period is until the Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2027."
He also revealed eight reasons for choosing Hong. The technical director "First, we considered KFA's philosophy and game model. Coach Hong efficiently targeted the build-up shown in Ulsan, using La Volpiana, taking the back three, and the back space. He showed various aspects such as attacking third, line breaking, attack through crosses, and combination. Based on last year's data, he ranked No. 1 in opportunity creation, No. 1 in build-up, and No. 1 in pressure intensity in the K League"The activity ranking was 10th, but that means that he played effectively. Argentina, which won the Qatar World Cup, was also at the bottom of the list. That is a lesson for Korean soccer. Hong also has extensive experience as a leader of the A-team, 23-year-old and 20-year-old national teams, and as an executive director of the association, he has a broad perspective in technical administration" he said.
He then explained that Hong's leadership emphasizing "one team, one spirit, one goal" was higher than the two foreign candidates based on his leadership, foreign coach's resident problem in Korea, Hong's performance as a leader from his 20-year-old national team to Ulsan's second consecutive K-League, the third qualifying round for the World Cup, which begins in September, the time to apply a new philosophy to the national team, and his experience as national team leaders at all levels.
Coach Hong had no intention of taking the position of head coach of the A national team. The technical director, who holds full control of the senior negotiations, has also repeatedly rejected offers to meet. It was on the 5th night that the meeting took place. Technical director Lee blindly waited for head coach Hong, who was returning home to his home in the Seoul metropolitan area after the away game against Suwon FC. The biggest reason why Hong changed his mind lies in the KFA's 'technical philosophy'.
On the 20th of last month, the KFA announced the technical philosophy and policies of Korean soccer and the improvement of the national team operation system by age. The report session led by technical director Lee included strategies to strengthen the national team's competitiveness. While pointing out the lack of continuity and direction, the disappearance of individual players' characteristics, and the weakening of Korean values as problems, it unveiled a new technological philosophy called 'fast, courageous, and leading'. At the same time, he declared that he would play consistent soccer that he could maintain in the long run even if the coach changed. He also presented the world 'top 10' and the 'dream' to build a power to stably advance to the semifinals of the World Cup by 2033.
Hong held a press conference in public for the first time since his appointment as the head coach of the national team.
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▶It's a shame that I didn't get the results. I should have shown good performance to my home fans, but I'm sorry. Today's players did their best until the end in a difficult situation.
-He accepted that he would not leave Ulsan. How did it change, and the background of the acceptance.
▶First of all, as you know, the biggest difficult time in my life was after the 2014 World Cup. It was a very difficult situation at the time. I didn't want to go with my honest feelings. I didn't want to go even knowing what happened next. It's been 10 years and days since 2014. In the meantime, there have been difficult times, and on the contrary, there have been good times for three and a half years in Ulsan. In a way, it was easy to put down the weight of Hong Myung-bo's life as a national team or soccer player 10 years ago. That's why it's been really painful since February when my name has been in the National Power Reinforcement Committee, the association, and the media regardless of my intentions. It felt like something was being robbed. So on July 5, Chairman Lee Im-saeng came to the front of the house. He couldn't shake off the chairman who waited for two to three hours. That's when I met Chairman Lee for the first time. He told me the technical philosophy of 'MIK(Made in Korea)'. Of course, I was fully aware of the content when I presented MIK. On the other hand, I was very interested in the job while I was in administration. I think it's very important for the national soccer team, especially the connection to the tournament by age, because I couldn't finish it. I thought as Chairman Lee said that. There is a limit to administration. The most important thing is to create policies and implement them. It's important for the person in the field to do it. I think A national team coach is the one who is good for implementing it. Of course, the chairman of the committee went abroad this time to meet the two of them, and he must have talked about it, but he said he didn't do well even though he didn't know the contents. Honestly, it was a situation where I was strong and asked for it. First of all, I heard about it and I agreed on that to some extent. But without making a decision, the chairman went back and I agonized all night. To be honest, I was afraid. I was afraid to challenge something with uncertainty. It was a day when I couldn't answer what to do to go into it again. As a result, something inside me started to come out. He kept asking me questions. That's the biggest fear I've ever told you. Also, in a way, I thought that this could be the last challenge in my soccer life. On the one hand, it is terrible considering the process of failing in the past and what happened after, but it is also true that I have a strong desire to try again. I really wanted to make a new team and make it a really strong team and try it. That was too long for me, thinking, agonizing all night long after meeting Chairman Lee. Because you have to protect me. After 10 years, I managed to have fun soccer and have fun with the players, and as a result, I thought I had to abandon myself. What I thought I couldn't sleep, I abandoned me. I don't have any more. There is only Korean soccer. That's the situation where I changed my mind to the part where I said I wasn't going to the fans.
-He's the manager of K League 1, and the KFA regulations say he can't reject it.
▶I think it should be changed now. Times have changed a lot. I don't think I'm arresting each team's K-League manager like I used to. It has to change with the trend of the times.
-When Paulo Bento was appointed, the system was created at the time. I threw out the system this time.
▶We don't know what the system is like for that part. I asked him to meet, and he said, `What kind of evaluation did you get?' and he said, `I got the highest score.' The system doesn't know.
-How is Hong Myung-bo different from Hong Myung-bo in 2014 and Hong Myung-bo in 2024.
▶I think it is very different. At that time, he lacked experience and was in a position to start as a leader. Of course, there are still many shortcomings. I had more K-League experience than 10 years ago and it was a very good time as a leader. There are still many shortcomings, but a lot of effort has to be made in the future. It is true that the Korean national team has many good players. But we're team sports people. If you think about what is most important, I think it will change depending on where you put your talent on top. You will have enormous power if you place your talent on the basis of dedication or sacrifice. It puts it on egoism and fails to exert its power. There are good players, but how much trust you build is important.
-Park Joo-ho's story is being discussed.
I watched the ▶ video and checked the contents. In my personal opinion, I felt that Park Joo-ho worked hard on the entire committee through his connection. I think these things should continue to happen more. Each individual's opinion is respected and can play an important role in moving toward the goal as one. Park Joo-ho's words may sound uncomfortable, but now I hope he will embrace it and develop for better football.
-I said hello to the fans while going around the ground. There's a bad slogan. How do you feel.
▶I was so sorry. I've been so happy, but of course, there will be a time when I have to leave someday, but I didn't want to say goodbye like this, but I left like this because of my mistake. I'm really sorry to Ulsan fans, and I have nothing to say. When I chose Ulsan after working at the association, I chose it only for the individual. It was good to spend time in Ulsan thinking only about players, fans, and soccer. I had a lot of thoughts today. The chants of support were booed not long ago, and I'm solely responsible for that. Once again, I would like to apologize to Ulsan fans and Cheoyong warriors. I'm sorry.
newsme@sportschosun.com
