Coach Hong Myung-bo's questions met with reticence; FC Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong: "As a footballer, I regret the World Cup... but today's match is my focus" [Sangam]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Ki-dong (55), FC Seoul head coach, held back when asked about former national team coach Hong Myung-bo (57).

Incheon and FC Seoul will face off at 7:30 p.m. on the 5th at Seoul World Cup Stadium for the 16th round of 'Hana Bank K League 1 2026'. This is the first match after the World Cup break and the second 'Gyeong-In Derby' of the season.

Seoul leads the table with 10 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses (32 points), holding a six-point advantage over second-place Ulsan HD (26 points, 22 goals) and third-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (26 points, 21 goals). Incheon sits in sixth place with 21 points (6 wins, 3 draws, 6 losses).

Before the match, Coach Kim Ki-dong said, "It's been too long since we last trained that after the break, I thought we were starting winter training again. We had a two-week break, yet still needed to spend an additional month preparing. For about a month, we only trained in Seoul, which became somewhat monotonous, so we spent around ten days training in Yangyang. During those two weeks, we focused intensely on physical conditioning and rebuilding our bodies. At Yangyang, we played approximately six matches to sharpen our match sharpness."

Regarding Yazan, a key defender for the Jordan national team who participated in the 2026 North America World Cup qualifiers, Kim stated, "I would have preferred him to advance further, but he returned early from Jordan to support his club. It seems he wanted to contribute to the team after his international experience. Although he showed some poor performances in the final match against FC Anyang, I appreciate his decision to return early due to his strong attachment to the team."

When asked how he viewed the World Cup, Coach Kim Ki-dong replied, "I tend to focus more on team play than individual star players. I was particularly impressed by Morocco, Uruguay, and Cape Verde in the Round of 32. Their clear and consistent patterns of defending followed by counterattacks were both impressive and enjoyable to watch."

On the South Korean national team's failure to advance to the Round of 16, he said, "There are certainly regrets. I feel deeply sorry that we fell short of public expectations. As a football professional, I believe this tournament was significantly disappointing for me as well."

He added, "We must also demonstrate good football to change such perceptions, which makes me feel an even greater sense of responsibility."

However, when questioned about Coach Hong Myung-bo, who has been at the center of criticism, Kim appeared uneasy and responded with a laugh, saying, "Oh, why are you asking that?" He then deflected by stating, "I am focusing on today's match."

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*This content was translated by AI.