KUALA LUMPUR – Former World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann has been sacked as South Korea coach less than a year into his contract following defeat in the Asian Cup and a bust-up between players.
Korea Football Association president Chung Mong-gyu said the decision was made after a “comprehensive review” and found Klinsmann falling short as a head coach.
“Klinsmann has failed to display the managerial capability and leadership expected of a national head coach in areas ranging from tactics, personnel management, work attitude and others required to bring about competitiveness to the team.
“Klinsmann’s attitude and competitiveness as head coach have fallen short of people’s expectations and it was agreed that this would not be improved going forward, so we have decided to change leadership ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifying games,” he said in a statement today.
Just before the sack, the 59-year-old Klinsmann said it had been “an incredible journey” and thanked his players in a post on social media.
On Wednesday, it was reported that a scuffle left skipper Son Heung-min with an injured finger on the eve of the 2-0 loss to Jordan in the last four in Qatar.
When Son played against Jordan, two of his fingers were strapped together.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in issued an apology after he purportedly tried to punch Son.
It all started when younger players rushed through their pre-game dinner so they could leave and play table tennis.
This angered the others, including Son, who wanted to have a team bonding experience over dinner, which was a tradition.
In response, Chung said the brawl was due to several difficult games and more than a month-long group training.
South Korea will be facing Thailand in next month’s World Cup qualifiers.
When he took on the job, Klinsmann had promised to deliver the country’s first Asian title in 64 years. He had also insisted on living in the United States despite pressure from fans to relocate. – February 16, 2024