Football South Korea
The association boss accompanied Klinsmann’s expulsion with a devastating verdict
As of: 12:09 p.m. | Reading time: 3 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.
You can listen to our WELT podcasts here
In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is necessary, as the providers of the embedded content require this consent as third party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the switch and privacy at the bottom of the page.
Jürgen Klinsmann is no longer the national coach of South Korea. The association reacted to the disappointing semi-final exit at the Asian Cup – and separated from the 59-year-old in a rather loud manner. The criticism of his work ethic was unusually clear.
South Korea’s head of the association followed up Jürgen Klinsmann’s expulsion as national coach with an almost devastating verdict. “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,” Chung Mong Gyu criticized the former national coach on Friday when announcing the separation decision open stage.
By releasing Klinsmann, the South Korean association KFA drew conclusions from the team’s surprising failure in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. The 59-year-old 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.
The search for a successor to Klinsmann will begin immediately, announced KFA President Chung, who is himself not without controversy. The termination of the contract still needs to be discussed with lawyers. According to reports in South Korean media, the association could still receive millions in severance payments to Klinsmann. The next World Cup qualifiers for South Korea are scheduled for March.
South Korea was eliminated from the Asian Cup without a shot on goal
The early separation marks the end of a turbulent year for Klinsmann. The former world-class footballer had great expectations, but also repeated criticism from fans. Because there was no longer any improvement in sight, the association decided to replace Klinsmann, said Chung.
also read
The former national coach thanked his players, his coaching team and the fans in South Korea on Instagram. “Thank you for all your support in getting us to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup and for the incredible journey over the past 12 months in which we did not lose 13 games in a row until the semi-finals,” he wrote.
Klinsmann was exposed to some heavy criticism after his exit in the semi-finals of the continental championship last week. In the final round in Qatar, the South Koreans lost 2-0 to outsiders Jordan after a poor performance and did not shoot at the opponent’s goal once.
Many fans called on Klinsmann to resign. Some of them unfurled a large banner calling for his dismissal in front of the KFA headquarters in Seoul. Chung also incurred the fans’ displeasure because of Klinsmann’s controversial commitment and the national team’s inconsistent performance.
Here you will find content from Instagram
In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is necessary, as the providers of the embedded content require this consent as third party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the switch and privacy at the bottom of the page.
Klinsmann came under pressure in South Korea right from the start of his term in office. The 1990 World Cup winner didn’t win any of his first five games with South Korea. The fact that he spent more time abroad than in South Korea was also not welcomed – similar to his time as national coach.
Quarrels within the team also became known. South Korean media, citing the association, reported that there had been a physical argument among the players the evening before the Asian Cup semi-final, in which team captain Heung-Min Son dislocated a finger. Klinsmann had, among other things, blamed the discordant sounds for the team’s poor performance.
Klinsmann fails in his short-term goal
However, Klinsmann and the team made a flawless debut in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. In November, just a few days after the 5-0 win against Singapore, a 3-0 win against China followed. Klinsmann took over the job in Asia almost three years after the resounding failure of his coaching engagement with the then Bundesliga club Hertha BSC. His short-term goal was to win the Asian Championship.
also read
For Klinsmann it was the third job as national coach. The 1990 world champion looked after Germany from 2004 to 2006 and led the DFB team to third place at the home World Cup. From July 2011 to November 2016, the ex-professional was the USA national coach. After Uli Stielike (2014-2017), the native Swabian with his adopted home in the USA is the second former German national player from whom the association has separated prematurely.
