Coach Hong Myung-bo held a press conference at the Korea Football Center in Sinmun-ro, Seoul on Tuesday to select the coach of the Korean national team. Hong first apologized to fans of Ulsan HD and K-League, and started his inaugural speech. After discussing management plans and philosophy, he had a Q&A session.
What drew most attention was the story of the appointment process. Coach Hong Myung-bo, who had consistently expressed his objection to the post of coach of the national team, was surprised when he suddenly accepted the offer after meeting with director Lee Im-saeng on Tuesday. Since then, at a briefing on director Lee Im-saeng and explanation of the Korea Football Association, it was confirmed that Coach Hong had no interview-type meeting, which led to controversy over preferential treatment and appointment of the coach, as well as recruitment irregularities.
Coach Hong Myung-bo said, “On July 5, director Lee Im-saeng came to our straw. We had a long conversation at the meeting. He explained the philosophy of Korean soccer technology and asked my thoughts. As a manager and executive director, I honestly talked about my philosophy, operation plans, and Korean soccer technology philosophy. After hearing what I said, director Lee Im-saeng earnestly asked for the coach position and accepted it after all night of consideration.”
In addition, “The philosophy that director Lee Im-saeng said was the technical philosophy of Korean soccer, MIK, and the connection between the national team. I talked about the life and management plan of the national team that I experienced. The series of situations that took place in the national team after I left the executive director of the Korea Football Association was heartbreaking. Problems with the 2022 Qatar World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup came to mind. I started to think about the words of director Lee Im-saeng that I needed my role. As I kept thinking, someone said I should play this role. I thought I could be a better person even if it wasn’t me, but I thought this was my last job, so I decided,” he said.
Also drawing attention is whether Chung Mong-gyu is involved in the scandal. Chung Mong-gyu is the most criticized figure at the center of various controversies over the national team. He recently published an essay and said, “I suggested the post of chairman of the association in Hong Myung-bo,” and continued to make remarks with excuses and complaints, sparking controversy again. He was also involved in the process of appointing a national team coach, drawing suspicion that he neutralized the Korean national team’s power reinforcement committee and only carried out his personal opinions.
At the briefing on Friday, Lee Im-saeng said, “I only reported to Chairman Chung Mong-gyu about the three final candidates that were decided by the Korea Electric Power Enhancement Committee. As I heard that I would meet all three candidates, I delegated all my authority. The decision to appoint Hong Myung-bo was also reported to Vice Chairman Kim Jeong-bae at the end. I did not report to Chairman Chung Mong-gyu,” denying his involvement.
The Korea Football Association also said on the 22nd, “Chairman Chung Mong-gyu told Director Lee Im-saeng that he would trust the judgment and agree to the choice when the technical director Lee Im-saeng met the three final candidates in Europe to continue the interview and verification.” He expressed his intention in advance that he would not present his opinion or direct the decision of the top candidate. Later, when Director Lee Im-saeng said he would report the results to the chairman after the meeting in Europe, he said, “You don’t have to report to me directly about who he finally chose.” In response, he told Kim Jeong-bae, the vice chairman of the Korea Football Association, that he was Hong Myung-bo among the three, and asked him to proceed with the contract. In this situation, he explained, “I am saying that I did it myself transparently by giving the chairman the authority.”
BY: 홀짝게임