Jurgen Klinsmann looks set to be fired as coach after top South Korean football officials said Thursday that “a change of leadership is necessary” following their Asian Cup exit and in-fighting among star players.
The Korea Football Association’s national team committee met
a week on from the 2-0 defeat to Jordan in the semi-finals and with Klinsmann
under huge pressure.
The committee is not a decision-making body but will make
its recommendation to the KFA’s executive board, which will make a final ruling
on the 59-year-old German’s fate.
A smattering of protesters gathered outside KFA headquarters
in Seoul, demanding Klinsmann’s removal after just less than a year in the
post.
“We’ve reached a consensus that Klinsmann cannot exercise
his leadership as national team head coach for various reasons and that a
change of leadership is necessary,” Hwangbo Kwan of the committee said.
After a three-hour meeting, Hwangbo said the committee had
decided Klinsmann’s “tactical preparation fell short” during the team’s
disappointing Asian Cup campaign in Qatar.
He added: “Klinsmann said there was discord among squad
members and it affected their performance (in the Jordan match).”
Klinsmann attended the meeting on a video conference from
his home in the United States, Yonhap news agency reported.
“There were opinions that Klinsmann failed to show his
resolve to find new talent and that he failed to grasp internal conflict or
mood among squad members in management,” said Hwangbo.
“There were also reviews that he is appearing to ignore the
Korean public for his short stays in South Korea and that he had lost trust
from them,” he added.
Yonhap previously reported, citing unnamed sources, that the
KFA would consider a temporary appointment for next month’s World Cup
qualifiers against Thailand if Klinsmann were to be sacked.
Klinsmann, who has never won over South Korean fans or
media, had promised to deliver the country’s first Asian title in 64 years.
He has refused to resign despite fierce pressure and said he
will remain living in the United States, despite demands from South Korean fans
and media for him to move there.
Bust-up
The South Korean team have been in the eye of a storm.
On Wednesday came revelations about a bust-up between
players that left Son Heung-min with an injured finger on the eve of the Jordan
game in Qatar.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in on Wednesday issued an
apology after Yonhap said the 22-year-old had tried to punch skipper and
Tottenham star Son.
Lee’s representatives have denied there was a punch.
The fracas was reportedly triggered by younger players —
including Lee — rushing through their dinner so they could leave early and play
table tennis.
This angered some of the older players, including Son, who
wanted to honour longstanding tradition that the pre-game dinner be a team
bonding experience, triggering the brawl.
Lee and Son both played in the Jordan defeat, the latter
with two of his fingers strapped together.
He had the same dressing on his fingers when he came on at
the weekend in Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Brighton.
The incident has fuelled calls for Klinsmann to be sacked,
with some saying it was more evidence of his weak management.
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