"Hong Myung-bo is our legend, do not torment him" — Japanese celebrities rallied around him... raising 'question marks' despite President Lee Jae-myung's criticism

*This content was translated by AI.

Japanese celebrities rallied around Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean national football team, who announced his resignation. Even in the face of strong criticism from President Lee Jae-myung, they raised questions.

Japan's Nikkan Sports reported on the 29th (Korea time) that "Japanese celebrities have also voiced their doubts following President Lee's criticism of Coach Hong, who was eliminated from the group stage of the World Cup."

The media further explained, "President Lee posted a scathing and critical message using terms such as 'incompetent' directed at Coach Hong, who announced his resignation. In response, voices of doubt and anger erupted among Japanese celebrities."

Coach Hong held a press conference at Chivas Valle Verde in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, on this day and announced his voluntary resignation. Coach Hong's contract was set to last until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, scheduled for January next year. However, he stepped down before completing his contract term.

South Korea achieved a disappointing result in the CONCACAF Nations League. In this tournament, South Korea was drawn into Group A alongside Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa. Immediately after the draw, most evaluations suggested they had drawn relatively manageable opponents, but the result was one win and two losses (three points), finishing third in Group A. South Korea secured a 2-1 comeback victory against Czechia in the first match, but subsequently lost 0-1 to both Mexico and South Africa.

In particular, the defeat against South Africa in the final third match of the group stage was fatal. South Korea could have advanced to the round of 32 by finishing second in Group A with just a draw against South Africa. However, they collapsed without even achieving the minimum required result.

This tournament allowed not only the top two teams from each group but also the eight best-performing third-placed teams among the 12 third-placed teams to advance to the round of 32. However, South Korea finished only 10th in the third-place rankings. Ultimately, out of 48 teams, South Korea finished with an overall ranking of 34th, ending their World Cup journey sadly.

Earlier, President Lee stated on his SNS, "As the former honorary president of the professional football league and a spiritual Red Devil, I am not only surprised but also bewildered by the unexpected result. The failure to qualify for the World Cup finals, which left the nation feeling despondent, appears to be a failure of organization and personnel decisions."

President Lee further strongly criticized, "It has once again been proven that personnel decisions determine everything. If incompetent individuals are selected as commanders based on loyalty rather than ability, the result is as clear as day."

Nikkan Sports introduced President Lee's post, stating that he "left an unprecedented message." It is also reported that Japanese celebrities defended Coach Hong.

According to reports, Tama-gawa Toru, a former TV Asahi employee and current political commentator, expressed his displeasure on the TV Asahi program "Hattori Shinichi Morning Show," saying, "It's fine to say you're disappointed or regretful. But shouldn't a head of state and the highest leader be saying such things?"

He continued, "In a way, it may seem like giving a free pass to defamation. Are they trying to pin the blame entirely on an individual? He said, 'If you appoint an incompetent commander,' but isn't this not just an individual problem? Sports are a collective effort."

He then raised his voice, stating, "I cannot tolerate this. It is difficult to accept a leader who makes such remarks."

Coach Hong, a legend from the South Korean football team, also played in Japan's J-League during his playing days. He played for Vissel Hiratsuka in 1997 and Kashiwa Reysol in 1999, establishing a connection with Japanese football. The media stated, "Because of this, Japanese celebrities who had ties with the teams at the time also reacted."

Columnist Enokido Ichiro, who once served as the MC for the Vissel Hiroshima support program, refuted President Lee's post on his SNS. He wrote, "It's not like that. Myung-bo, just come to Japan. The J-League supporters will not forget your determination."

Shonan Bellmare Jeon (CEO)board member and House of Representatives member Taro Kono also expressed his intention to refrain from excessive criticism of Coach Hong with a short message: "Do not torment Hong Myung-bo, our OB."

However, what is clear is that Coach Hong has once again experienced a painful failure as a coach. Earlier, Coach Hong also led the South Korean national team at the 2014 Brazil World Cup but was eliminated in the group stage with one draw and two losses. His second World Cup challenge also ended in failure.

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*This content was translated by AI.