National soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann returned to Korea after 45 days.
Coach Klinsmann, who finished his European expedition in September, entered the country with the K Leaguers through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 14th. Klinsmann played two friendly matches against Wales on the 8th and Saudi Arabia on the 12th, recording 1 win and 1 draw.
Accordingly, the national team won its first victory in six games since Klinsmann took office. It was the longest winless streak among domestic and foreign coaches who took charge of the national team. Previously, coaches Hong Myung-bo, Shin Tae-yong (5 games), and Guus Hiddink 메이저놀이터 (4 games) had the most wins since taking office.
Coach Klinsmann faced worsening public opinion due to his poor performance and not staying in the country. He signed a contract with the Korea Football Association and stayed in Korea for 6 months, including this day, for only 68 days. As someone who has just taken charge of the national team, he would have to stay in Korea and tour the K-League to check on unfamiliar domestic players, but Coach Klinsmann continued to stay abroad, seeming to prefer European teams.
It was the same even after the A match in September. Coach Klinsmann originally planned to remain in Europe and watch the German Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, in which Kim Min-jae will play. With the news that Coach Klinsmann would not return to the country with the players, public opinion was once again sucked into a storm.
The request from the Football Association was a big factor in why Coach Klinsmann changed his mind. Coach Klinsmann, who met reporters at the arrival hall, said, “In fact, when I was in charge of the German and American national teams, I have never had an interview like this at the airport after a friendly match.” He added, “I thought differently about the Football Association’s story that the coach would express his feelings when the players returned home. “I did it. It wasn’t that difficult to change the schedule. I will visit the K-League site on the weekend,” he said.
This is why the criticism directed at Director Klinsmann is sharp. Among the reasons why public opinion calls for Director Klinsmann to reside in Korea, the dominant argument is that he needs to get to know Korea. He goes beyond simply understanding the players and needs to know the completely different Eastern thinking and culture so that he can head to his goal without much friction.
The reason the Klinsmann was launched and constantly faced criticism even without any incidents or accidents is because of the unprecedented controversy over foreign trips. If those around us had explained Korea’s situation more accurately and defeated Coach Klinsmann’s argument, there would have been no reason to be swayed by the same issue.
Director Klinsmann is avoiding reporters. The press conference to announce the roster prior to the September international match was also canceled. It is unusual for him to cancel the opportunity to honestly reveal the basis for forming the team and the reasons for selection.
In recent years, the only time the list announcement was replaced by a press release was when face-to-face meetings were impossible due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). Even at that time, former coach Paulo Bento spoke candidly about the background to the selection and exclusion of certain players and the national team management plan through a non-face-to-face press conference through the Football Association’s official YouTube channel.
Even if it is not the case in foreign countries, the head of the Korean national team needs to have an attitude that follows the culture of the past. There also seemed to be little sympathy for the issue of this entry, saying, “I came because I heard a lot of people were gathered together. It’s a new experience.”
Director Klinsmann, who visited Korea to calm the controversy, is expected to go abroad again. When asked about his next departure schedule, he said, “I will keep going back and forth. There are games to watch in Europe,” indicating that he would not stay in the country he came to with difficulty for long.
Public opinion hopes that coach Klisman will find a domestic player to make up for the weaknesses of the national team that cannot be addressed by European players until the international match is prepared in October. However, as Coach Klinsmann shows his intention to go outside again, he is expected to clash directly with public opinion. A decision from the Football Association and higher leadership, which has not been able to be strongly controlled until now, also appears to be necessary.
Coach Klinsmann is thinking of shaking the criticism directed at him. He was busy raising concerns about the national team’s lack of support, citing the example of Germany, which was eliminated in the group stage after losing to Japan at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Coach Klinsmann, who set the goal of winning the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup in January next year, said, “A positive atmosphere is important. No matter how united we are inside, if we create negative public opinion from outside, we will be shaken,” adding, “Even if we receive criticism after the results are out, “It’s not too late. I hope both fans and media will be positive until the Asian Cup,” he said.
