Han Jun-hee, vice-president of the Korea Football Association, expressed his position on the controversy surrounding soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s overseas trip.
On the 25th, through ‘My Daily’, Vice Chairman Han Joon-hee said, “Director Klinsman recently said at a non-face-to-face press conference, ‘I am doing my job well outside of Korea.’ In the end, you will know when you play the game. There are friendly A matches in September, October, and November, and there is also the Qatar Asian Cup in January next year.”
The coach said in his own mouth, “The way you observe the players wherever they are physically is different from before.” Regarding director Klinsman’s argument to rationalize working from home, Vice Chairman Han Jun-hee made an analogy. “If you want to know how well you prepared for an exam, you can tell by taking it.”메이저사이트
Coach Klinsman, who was appointed as the head coach of the Korean national soccer team in March, took the helm of the national team under the condition that he reside in Korea. He was criticized harshly for working from home in the United States, where he is from his home, even during his tenure with the German national football team in the past. For this reason, the Korea Football Association signed a contract with coach Klinsman under the conditions.
Director Klinsman said at the inaugural press conference, “As a coach, I live in Korea. Coaches living in Europe go to Tottenham (Son Heung-min’s team), Naples (Kim Min-jae’s team at the time), and Mallorca (Lee Kang-in’s team at the time) to check Korean players. Not all coaches need to be in Korea.”
As he said, Klinsman spent a long time in Korea at the beginning of his tenure. He seemed to be settling into the abode provided by the Football Association. However, recently, the length of his stay overseas has increased overwhelmingly compared to the length of his stay in Korea. There were many cases where even the KFA staff did not know where coach Klinsman was.
Vice Chairman Han Jun-hee said, “I did not read the Klinsman manager contract, so I do not know what the conditions for residing in Korea are. He said, “I can’t decide if it’s a breach of contract or not.” Vice-Chairman Han added, “I have never seen such a long overseas coach among other national team coaches.”
Because of this, there was also a ‘controversy of insincerity’. It is a job that requires constant communication with the Korea Football Association, collaboration with national team coaches by age group, and visiting the K-League field, but trust is inevitably lost when judging only by looking at the monitor from the other side of the world. He is the exact opposite of his predecessor, coach Paulo Bento.
Vice Chairman Han Jun-hee said, “Football is a sport that many people watch. It is important for coaches of the national soccer team not only to improve their performance but also to enhance their national image. As of now, he has failed to present an image of sincerity and diligence. I want him to pay more attention and show a positive image and sincere attitude to the people.”
The national soccer team is scheduled for two evaluation matches in September. Both matches will be held in England. We will face Wales (Cardiff City Stadium) on the 8th and Saudi Arabia (St James Park) on the 13th. In October, they face Tunisia and Vietnam in Korea, and in November, there is the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian 2nd qualifying round.
In January next year, coach Klinsman’s first major tournament, the Asian Cup, will be held. It is a tournament that Korea has not won in the past 63 years. Coach Klinsman said, “My biggest goal is to win the Asian Cup.” It remains to be seen whether coach Klinsman can wash away the various controversies that have arisen recently with cool performances.