[경기= 이한준 기자]
Coach Paulo Bento (53) of the Korean national soccer team, who brought Korean soccer to the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years, is stepping down following four years and four months.
Coach Bento hoped to guarantee the contract period until the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the three North and Central American countries, Canada, and Mexico four years later, but the association agreed to the 2023 Asian Football Federation (AFC) in a situation where the results of the Qatar World Cup were not certain. AFC) After renewing the contract only until the Asian Cup, Bento proposed a plan to extend the period depending on the performance.
In the end, the two sides might not narrow the difference, and it seems that Bento also organized his mind at this time.
Some in the soccer world mentioned the names of Ahn Jung-hwan, Choi Yong-soo, and Kim Hak-beom as successor national coaches, but the Korea Football Association revealed its position on this.
In an official position statement, the association said, “We express serious concern over the recent indiscriminate speculative reports in some media outlets regarding the appointment of a new national team coach.”
Regarding reports such as ‘internal appointment as a Korean leader’, ‘annual salary of less than 1 billion won’, and ‘patriotic leader’ in some media outlets, he expressed his position that it was “not at all true”.
The association said, “According to the regulations and procedures, the association’s ‘National Team Reinforcement Committee’ will be in charge of appointing national coaches, but the first meeting has not yet been held, and it is now in the stage of preparation for discussion.” “All possibilities are open We will start by establishing the direction our national team will go in the future.”
He added, “As some reports have shown, it is not the time to talk regarding whether you are a Korean or a foreigner, and it is not a situation where detailed conditions such as salary are even more discussed.”
Finally, the association concluded by saying, “We earnestly ask you not to make hasty predictions regarding the appointment of the national team coach until there is an official briefing by the Korea Football Association.”
