South Korea’s head coach, Hong Myung-bo, is under immense pressure to resign after their disastrous performance in the World Cup. The team suffered a 1-0 defeat to South Africa, who were considered the least threatening team in Group A.
The disappointment among South Korean fans stems not only from the team’s precarious position in the tournament but also from their dismal display. Despite dominating possession, they failed to create significant scoring opportunities, leaving spectators frustrated by the lackluster performance.
Their few attempts on goal included a meek header from Oh Hyeon-gyu and an early attempt by Lee Kang-in. This underwhelming showing has sparked a petition for Hong’s removal, labeling it as ‘lifeless’ and marking it as one of the most disappointing performances in South Korea’s World Cup history. Fans are now anxiously hoping for favorable outcomes to secure one of the eight third-place spots needed to advance to the knockout stages.
The decision to bench South Korea’s star player, despite their earlier narrow win over the Czech Republic and lack of shots in their loss to Mexico, was a risky move. The gamble has backfired dramatically, reflecting poorly on Hong’s strategy.
South Korea had only to avoid losing to the Group A underdogs to secure the second spot in the standings. This missed opportunity has led to a wave of demands from fans and media alike for Hong to step down from his role as coach.
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.