'The Day After the Monterrey Disaster' Coach Hong Myung-bo: "I am also surprised... Rumors of discord within the squad are completely unfounded" [World Cup On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Amid the shock of the defeat against South Africa, South Korea national football team coach Hong Myung-bo reflected on the conclusion of the group stage and acknowledged his responsibility for the loss. At the same time, he strongly drew a line against rumors of discord surrounding the team.

Coach Hong Myung-bo and the Lee Kkeu-neun (CEO) team conducted their first recovery training after the final match on the afternoon of the 25th (local time) at Chivas Verde Valle in Sapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico.

South Korea was defeated 0-1 in a lifeless performance against South Africa in the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean Cup Group A third match held in Monterrey the previous day.

After the match, the national team returned to the base camp, Chivas Verde Valle in Guadalajara, via a chartered flight.

After defeating Czech Republic in the first match (2-1), South Korea suffered consecutive losses against Mexico (0-1) and South Africa, dropping to third place in the group and leaving them in a precarious position where advancing to the round of 32 cannot be guaranteed.

Before training, Coach Hong Myung-bo met with reporters and said, "I take full responsibility for the result," and "Since we did not perform as well as we prepared, it is entirely acceptable to say that the coach's role in preparing was flawed," admitting to the failure.

Coach Hong analyzed that the flow of the World Cup group stage he had originally planned went completely awry. He stated, "After the group draw was finalized in December last year, we knew we would have to face high-altitude and hot, humid environments," but added, "We focused on adapting to the high altitude for the first and second matches. In retrospect, the first match went well, but the match against Mexico was too unfortunate. If we had secured points, we could have managed the final match more leisurely, but we were unable to do so, leading to the worst possible scenario."

The match against South Africa was a disastrous game with no room for excuse, as they failed to create any threatening scenes after the 10th minute of the first half and were helplessly caught by the opponent's quick counterattacks. Regarding this, Coach Hong said, "Even I and the coaching staff are surprised as to why such a performance suddenly emerged," and added, "Upon receiving the match data, we found that the overall activity volume was not significantly different from the Mexico match, and there were actually more high-intensity movements. It is not easy to pinpoint exactly why, in terms of numbers, there was no physical difference, but visually it appeared extremely slow and as if they were not running," expressing his frustration.

Coach Hong, who could not find a clear technical cause, pointed to psychological burden and rapid environmental changes as the background for the poor performance. He analyzed, "Conversely, environmental factors such as the hot weather in Monterrey seem to have made adaptation difficult," and "The players have a strong impatience to win and produce results, so the game became tangled due to the combination of mental and psychological factors with the hot weather."

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Regarding rumors of discord within the team that have cautiously surfaced both inside and outside the football world as the team's performance collapsed, he firmly put a nail in the coffin. Coach Hong stated, "I do not believe there is any discord or problem within the squad. I am the type to be very sensitive to such matters, but as far as I know, there are no special problems," and drew a line by saying, "In fact, there is no tournament without noise. If we must compare, the Lee Beon (CEO) team is in a very good mood. It seems various stories are emerging because the results are poor, but I will check again."

He expressed continued trust in Son Heung-min (LAFC)'s substitute tactics and performance, which had been under scrutiny for remaining silent throughout the tournament. Coach Hong said, "Considering Son Heung-min's physical burden from playing mainly with sprints in the first and second matches and shaking the opponent's backspace, as well as the hot weather, we intended to bring him on later," and defended him by adding, "Through meetings with the player, he was well aware of his role himself. While it is difficult for both the player and the team to be evaluated solely based on whether a goal was scored, Son Heung-min is always fulfilling his mission by opening up space."

He maintained a cautious stance on the possibility of tactical changes. Regarding South Africa coach Hugo Broos's self-assessment that he had perfectly deciphered South Korea's tactics, Coach Hong said, "While specific countermeasures may vary depending on the opponent, suddenly changing the tactical framework we have organically used so far would actually be harmful to the squad. Once the opponent for the round of 32 is determined, we will reconsider the overall strategy."

With the possibility of breaking through the humiliating scenarios and advancing to the tournament in mind, he is determined to reorganize his ranks. Coach Hong said, "There are games that do not go as planned even if we prepare for dozens or hundreds of unexpected situations," but added, "We must somehow rebuild the team. It is not over yet. If we can compose ourselves well during the remaining period and achieve good results in the round of 32, the players will be able to receive applause again," conveying his resolve to charge forward without giving up.

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*This content was translated by AI.