The Korea Football Association has agreed to play its March A match under an interim coach. The worst has been averted ahead of the start of the K League.
On the afternoon of the 24th, the KFA held the second meeting of the National Strength Committee at the Football Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. From the second meeting onward, all proceedings will be held behind closed doors, and a separate media conference 홀덤사이트 will be held to announce the final results, including the details of each meeting.
Through the committee, the direction has changed from appointing a full-time head coach before March to having an interim coach for the March A match and then going through the process of appointing a full-time head coach with more credibility. The compromise is interpreted as a result of strong opposition after Jeong Hae-sung, the chairman of the Power Enhancement Committee, said at a briefing after the first Power Enhancement Committee that he “emphasized the appointment of a permanent head coach rather than an interim system.”
The compromise was a breath of fresh air for the K League, which is five days away from its kickoff. After Chung said that a full-time head coach would be selected, the weight of the debate shifted in favor of a domestic coach over a foreign coach, most of whom were active K League managers, including Hong Myung-bo. In response, Ulsan HD supporters, including Hong, issued an official statement and protested in front of the soccer center with trucks and wreaths of flowers. Other K League fans also expressed their anger on the internet.
The Korean Professional Football Association has been scrambling to improve the atmosphere of the K League’s opening media day, asking fans to refrain from asking questions about the national team ahead of the ‘Hana Bank K League 2024 Opening Media Day’ on Saturday. A former member of the Second Power Enhancement Committee said, “The atmosphere was good last year and there were good factors this year, but there is nothing we can do about it now. It’s not a good atmosphere ahead of the kickoff, but it’s unavoidable,” he said.
The announcement means that no current K League coach will be called upon to manage the national team until at least March. Of course, there is still a possibility of appointing a domestic coach, but if the time until the June A-Match can be gained, it will open the way to consider various coaches from various angles and aspects, as it will eliminate the problems that were feared when appointing a foreign coach, such as prolonging the selection process and checking the performance of the national team players after the appointment. Even if an active K League coach is chosen as the interim head coach, he or she will be able to serve in the role for two March A matches.
The national team will face Thailand in the March A matches for the third and fourth rounds of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup second qualifiers. They will face Thailand at home on the 21st before traveling to Thailand to face them again on the 26th. Thailand are a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Asia, having reached the round of 16 at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar. However, they were limited by a realistic power differential against Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in that tournament, so South Korea should be able to win even with an interim coach.
Meanwhile, the K-League will begin its journey in earnest on March 1, starting with the three-day festival. K League 1 kicks off with Ulsan HD and Pohang Steelers, while K League 2 kicks off with FC Anyang and Seongnam FC and Ansan Greeners and Gyeongnam FC.
