South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo is facing calls to step down following the country’s disastrous World Cup campaign, which saw them lose 1-0 to Group A weak-links South Africa.
It wasn’t just the result, which leaves their World Cup campaign hanging in the balance, that had South Korean fans raising their fists – but the manner in which they lost, dominating the ball but failing to create any clear-cut chances in a game which was far from eye-catching.
Only a tame Oh Hyeon-gyu header and an early Lee Kang-in strike were among their rare chances, and a petition calling for Hong to be sacked called it ‘lifeless’ and ‘one of the worst displays by a Korean team’ in their World Cup history – which leaves them anxious to see results go in their favour to book one of the eight third-place spots to progress to the knockout rounds.
The most controversial moment actually arrived before the game, with captain Son Heung-min dropped from the starting line-up for the first ever time in the former Spurs midfielder’s career.
Despite being unable to find the back of the net in South Korea’s first match victory against Czech Republic, and then failing to record a shot in their defeat to Mexico in their second, dropping their talisman was always a gamble which would backfire disproportionately if it failed.
Given that South Korea only needed to avoid defeat against the Group A underdogs to guarantee second place in the table, this certainly appears to be the position that we now find ourselves in, with Hong facing widespread calls from the country’s football fan base and media to step down.
The most controversial moment actually arrived before the game, with captain Son Heung-min dropped from the starting line-up for the first ever time in the former Spurs midfielder’s career
A petition from fans in the wake of the defeat argued that Hong’s appointment had been tainted by procedural flaws from the outset and that it was ‘fundamentally illegitimate’
Such has been the backlash that, in the post-match press conference, journalists described the South Korean performance as ‘dismal’; another suggested that the only explanation for such a poor display was a case of ‘mass food poisoning within the squad’, and Hong’s decision-making was labelled a ‘failure’.
A petition from fans in the wake of the defeat argued that Hong’s appointment had been tainted by procedural flaws from the outset.
It read: ‘The Korea Football Association’s official selection process was effectively ignored, making it difficult to avoid criticism that the appointment was fundamentally illegitimate.’
It continued: ‘Despite fielding what many considered the strongest squad in Korea’s World Cup history, the team finished with one win and two losses, placing third in the group.
‘The performance against South Africa was so lifeless that it could be regarded as one of the worst displays by a Korean team in World Cup history.’
Aside from Hong’s removal, the petition also urged sweeping reforms to the governance of the Korea Football Association (KFA).
Hong himself, who many believe would not have stayed beyond the end of this campaign, accepted ‘full responsibility’ in the wake of the defeat – and will therefore likely go quietly if asked to do so.
‘In terms of the process and preparing for this game, and how we would play on the field, that is something I put much thought into,’ said the former South Korea captain, who led the team to its famous semifinal finish in 2002 during his playing days. ‘Of course, if we knew what the result was going to be, I probably would have made different choices.
‘But I had a strategy in mind. Whenever such a bad result happens, everyone has their own opinion. The result is really the responsibility of the head coach. Ultimately, it comes down to my hands.
‘I guess I made the wrong decisions and that was the reason we had a bad result. Nothing more, nothing less.’
As for his decision-making behind the exclusion of Son, Hong argued that he believed in the build-up to the match that the 33-year-old would be most ruthless when deployed against a tiring South African side – although he actually brought him on at the start of the second half, right after both teams had benefited from a break, and he had little impact on the game.
‘We thought that Son would be better placed (to make an impact) when the opponents were losing their energy, not when they had a lot of energy,’ Hong added. ‘And when there were more spaces to exploit between the opponents’ defensive line, that’s when we wanted Son to be at his strongest – when the opponents were a bit weaker.’
South Korea could still squeeze into the Round of 32 given they currently sit sixth in the standings. As it stands, they will face Mo Salah’s Egypt side next.
Even so, the country’s football media are predicting that regardless of the outcome of the third-place standings, Hong’s fate could already be sealed.
