"I want to punch Hong Myung-bo once." Ha Seok-ju sharply criticizes his 'silent' junior: "If he had sincerely apologized..." Also a direct hit on the KFA

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Ha Seok-ju (58), Ajou University coach, strongly criticized the actions of his 'junior,' former South Korea national team coach Hong Myung-bo (57).

Coach Ha appeared on MBC's '100-Minute Debate' broadcast on the 21st and expressed his stance on the recent controversies in the football world.

South Korea suffered the humiliation of failing to advance from the group stage at the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean due to a lack of tactics by former coach Hong Myung-bo. Considering that it was a 48-team format and that South Korea received relatively favorable draw conditions, this is clearly a disappointing result. After the failure to reach the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, there was no renewal of contract with coach Paulo Bento, followed by the dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann and an interim leadership system, until Hong Myung-bo took charge in July 2024; however, without a clear vision or tactics, he could not prevent the anticipated disaster.

Ultimately, Coach Hong, who declared his resignation, returned home on the 30th of last month. Hundreds of fans and YouTubers gathered at Incheon International Airport to voice strong booing and protests, but Coach Hong evaded the arrival hall while remaining silent in response to reporters' questions.

On this day, Coach Ha expressed deep responsibility as a football figure amid public criticism directed at the football community. He stated, "I really wonder why the Korea Football Association acted this way this time. Because of this, all of us football figures are being cursed. I am truly sorry to everyone here and so ashamed that I cannot even lift my head."

Regarding the so-called 'Korea University cartel' controversy, he acknowledged the current cold situation by saying, "If you watch too much YouTube and hear stories like 'Korea University cartel' often enough, it will inevitably look like that is what is happening."

In particular, he expressed blunt disappointment regarding Hong Myung-bo's attitude immediately after his return to the country. Coach Ha said, "Although Hong Myung-bo is my junior, honestly, his interview process and various actions were so wrong that as a senior, I wanted to punch him once."

He added, "Given how much interest the Korean public has shown, I often wondered if there wasn't someone who could have handled interviews better. It is easy for a person to be buried in disgrace."

Coach Ha emphasized the importance of sincere apology by citing his own experience of being sent off during the 1998 France World Cup. He said, "I was sent off back then and even thought 'I will die when I return home,' but at that time, Coach Cha Bum-kun and the public were always told how sorry I was. If I had knelt down upon returning and sincerely apologized like that, this incident would not have happened."

Finally, Coach Ha urged, "Since this has already happened anyway, please forgive me (and Coach Hong Myung-bo), and let us talk more about moving forward in a positive direction."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original