Football Fired in South Korea
Klinsmann defends himself – “We brought in a never-give-up mentality”
As of: 10:12 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
South Korea fires national coach Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is no longer coach of the South Korean national soccer team. Association President Chung Mong Gyu announced this decision on Friday in Seoul.
Jürgen Klinsmann is fired after just one year as South Korea national coach. The German doesn’t want to let the head of the association’s clear criticism stand and defends himself. His balance sheet is impressive.
After his departure as national coach in South Korea and the clear criticism from the head of the association, former national coach Jürgen Klinsmann referred to his good record and the successes with the team. “From a sporting perspective, it was a successful result. She was great,” Klinsmann told “Spiegel” (Saturday).
The 59-year-old had to leave as national coach in South Korea on Friday after his team had previously lost to outsiders Jordan in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. The team lost 2-0 and didn’t shoot at the opponent’s goal once. In South Korea, football fans later unfurled a large banner in front of the KFA building calling for the national coach to be fired.
also read
Klinsmann had already pointed out in an Instagram post on Friday that his team had not lost 13 games in a row until the semi-finals. “We brought a never-give-up mentality into the group,” said Klinsmann about his one-year tenure in South Korea, pointing out that his team never gave up. During the Asian Cup, his team won some games late or on penalties. “The games against the Saudis and Australia were pure drama,” said the former national coach.
“Klinsmann did not meet expectations”
Klinsmann did not comment specifically on the association president’s allegations against him. “When it comes to getting the best out of the national team, leading the players and in terms of his work attitude, Klinsmann has not met our expectations of him as head coach of the national team,” association president Chung Mong Gyu said when announcing the separation decision on Friday.
Association President Chung Mong Gyu explains Jürgen Klinsmann’s retirement. His loyal followers are behind him. And six of them
Source: dpa/Ahn Young-joon
Because there was no longer any improvement in sight, the association decided to replace the coach. Klinsmann only took over the position of head coach of the fourth-place team in the 2002 World Cup a year ago. His contract ran until the final of the 2026 World Cup.
