S. Korea coach understands fans’ jeers during World Cup qualifier at home

Boos rained down well before the kickoff, and fans didn’t let up the rest of Thursday night, as South Korea played Palestine to a goalless draw in a World Cup qualifier that could have been a crushing loss.

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo was the target of jeers. He was booed during the prematch introduction, and during the match whenever the two scoreboards at Seoul World Cup Stadium showed him, and again afterward when the home team settled for the dispiriting draw in front of 59,579 fans.

Supporters of the national team voiced their displeasure with the way the Korea Football Association hired Hong in July, and with Hong’s lack of clear explanation for his decision to leave his K League club, Ulsan HD FC, despite his earlier pledge that he would never take the national team job.

After the match, Hong apologized to fans for not delivering them a win on home soil.

“I think our players did their best until the end, but we got off on the wrong foot to begin this qualification phase,” Hong said, with South Korea getting only a point from their first match in Group B of the third round in the Asian qualification round. “We didn’t play as well as we wanted in the first half, and we couldn’t capitalize on our chances in the second half. This sort of problem can persist. In the first half, we should have been sharper and quicker with our passes, and we weren’t able to change direction effectively.”

Hong admitted that it was “not easy” to hear the boos from the stands, but added, “I understand where the fans come from. This is something I will have to endure going forward.”

South Korea will now travel to Muscat to face Oman on Tuesday for the second Group B match.

“We’ll have to go back to the drawing board tomorrow and start our tactical preparation for the next match,” the coach said. “How these players feel is really important. Those based in Europe flew in to play right after playing their club matches, and they had some physical issues. We will have to monitor their condition and make our lineup decisions accordingly.”