Beleaguered nat’l football head coach ready to work to earn players’ trust

Even before working his first match of his second tour of duty with the men’s national football team, head coach Hong Myung-bo has had to deal with a massive PR crisis.

Circumstances surrounding his appointment in July were so controversial that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched an audit into operations at the Korea Football Association (KFA). After the KFA failed to offer a clear and logical explanation for hiring Hong, after reviewing candidacies of foreign-born tacticians for weeks, even the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly is apparently prepared to summon both Hong and KFA President Chung Mong-gyu for questioning.

With lawmakers licking their chops over a possible dressing down of the national football legend, Hong could be in for a humiliating experience. But on Monday, as he announced his 26-man squad for two World Cup qualifying matches next month, Hong wasn’t ready to address the situation.

“I haven’t heard anything about a parliamentary session,” Hong told reporters at the Korea Football Association House. “And I don’t think this is the time or the place to discuss that matter.”

Hong was asked, point-blank, whether he thought he could earn the trust of his players, and Hong did not sidestep the question.

“I am not sure I will be able to gain their trust, but it’s important for me to become a coach who can do just that,” Hong said.

Hong first coached South Korea during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Few players from that era are still regulars on the national team, though the group includes perhaps the most important player for South Korea at the moment, captain Son Heung-min.

Son, 32, is the longest-serving captain in the national team’s history, having worn the armband since September 2018 under Paulo Bento, two head coaches ago.

On Monday, Hong reiterated his earlier plan that Son will remain the team’s captain.