The controversy surrounding South Korea national soccer team coach Jürgen Klinsmann (59, Germany) has not subsided. The British media has also weighed in on the situation.
On July 7, the BBC reported on Klinsmann’s position and remote work. It was also reported that there is a possibility of his dismissal if the team fails to win the A match.
South Korea will play the Welsh national team in a friendly match at 3:45 a.m. on Aug. 8 at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, England. The national team hasn’t won a game since Klinsmann’s appointment, with two draws and two losses in four matches. In his first game in charge in March, they drew with Colombia and lost to Uruguay. In June, they lost to underdog Peru and failed to draw with El Salvador. That’s why it’s imperative to win the upcoming friendlies against Wales and Saudi Arabia.
But even before they do, they’ve been dogged by controversy. The biggest controversy is that Klinsmann is not based in South Korea and is traveling to various countries to focus on his other duties. When he was appointed to the Korean national team, he promised to “live in Korea,” which was a priority of the Korea Football Association, but he has only spent two months in Korea in the six months since his appointment. The promise he made in his inaugural interview, “The Korean coach will stay in Korea,” has disappeared.
This worsened domestic public opinion. The absence of a national team victory in 2023 has divided soccer fans. This was compounded by the fact that the team’s press conferences to announce the roster were canceled in favor of online announcements. In the meantime, Klinsmann continued to give interviews to foreign media on topics unrelated to the national team, such as the Harry Kane transfer. In terms of publicity, he’s one of the best managers of all time.
The BBC also pointed out this problem. “The Korean work culture is to spend time in the office, but Klinsmann has only been in the job for 67 days,” the BBC said. “If he doesn’t improve in this game, he could spend as much time in California as he wants in the future,” it added. The implication was that he could be fired. 바카라
As Klinsmann continued to work online, many soccer fans tried to console themselves with the notion that it was a “European thing”. But even the British public broadcaster, the BBC, picked up on the issue, and it became an international embarrassment.