South Korea’s World Cup already ended in the group stage.
The country’s president Lee Jae-Myung doesn’t like it.
“I’m not just surprised, I’m completely baffled,” he writes on X according to Reuters.
In a long message on the social media platform, South Korea’s press office comes down hard on the national team’s performance.
Among other things, the national team captain Hong Myung-Bo receives a lot of criticism. He believes that it is personal favoritism that lies behind the confederation captain’s employment.
“Once again it has been proven that personnel decisions are decisive. When an ‘us versus them’ mentality is prioritized over competence, and an incompetent person is appointed as a leader, the outcome is obvious”, writes the president.
Accusations of lack of transparency
Hong Myung-Bo made 136 international appearances as a player and was national team captain between 2013 and 2014.
In 2024, he was hired again, and Reuters writes that voices were then raised in the South Korean media that it was about favoritism and a recruitment process that was anything but transparent.
“The failure to qualify for the play-offs, which has deeply disappointed the people, appears to be the result of organizational failings and failed hires,” writes the president.
Want to see investigation
Now he wants to see a thorough investigation. There is no doubt that the national team captain’s job is in danger.
“I call on the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to thoroughly investigate the exact circumstances surrounding this incident, analyze the causes and develop measures to prevent anything like this from happening again and ensure improvements.”
South Korea won the opening match against the Czech Republic but lost to both Mexico and South Africa and failed to advance as one of the top eight.
Photo: ELOISA SANCHEZ / REUTERS
