*This content was translated by AI.
Although the Korea Football Association (KFA) has officially confirmed and announced the A-match schedule for September and October, the vacant position of national team head coach will ultimately be filled on an interim basis. With the AFC Asian Cup just six months away in Saudi Arabia next January, concerns are growing over the repeated use of makeshift administrative measures.
On the 28th, the KFA officially announced that among the four friendly matches scheduled for September and October, the two opponents for October have been confirmed as Venezuela (October 2) and Uzbekistan (October 6).
Starting this year, FIFA has consolidated its previously five annual A-match windows into four. As a result, the national team will play all four matches during the A-match periods in September and October. The remaining two opponents for September are currently under discussion.
The problem lies in the absence of a head coach to lead the national team amidst a tight schedule. Since former coach Hong Myung-bo stepped down following the responsibility for the team's elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Qualifiers group stage, the KFA decided at its sixth board meeting to publicly recruit an interim head coach and coaching staff in corporate form to lead the team until the A-match period in November.
Continuing the interim head coach system until November means that an official head coach may only be appointed just one or two months before the Saudi Asian Cup, or in the worst-case scenario, the tournament will be conducted under an interim coaching arrangement—an administrative disaster.
This Asian Cup is a crucial tournament held with the national team's golden generation still intact, including captain Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Atlético Madrid), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Hwang In-beom (FC Porto). There is also a high possibility that this will be their final Asian Cup. Already having suffered a heartbreaking exit from the World Cup, the national team now faces the crisis of wasting precious time without proper preparation for the Asian Cup due to the KFA's incompetent administration.
Despite verified coaching candidates such as former South Korea national team coach Paulo Bento and former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors coach Guus Hiddink expressing interest in the head coach position, the KFA's administrative machinery remains completely stalled. Within the football community, it is widely believed that with the leadership vacuum created after Jeon (Chairman)'s resignation, a swift appointment of an official head coach is highly unlikely. The passive attitude reflects concerns that appointing an official head coach in such a leaderless state could lead to backlash if results are poor.
This chaotic cycle of rotating interim head coaches was also repeated during the dismissal of former coach Jürgen Klinsman in 2024. At that time, A-matches were filled under interim coaching systems led by Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-hoon, causing disruptions in Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) team operations and ultimately leading to a major tragedy: failure to qualify for the Olympic Games finals for the first time in 40 years.
Even two years later, the South Korea national football team remains abandoned in a dark period without a head coach or an official manager. Despite the Asian Cup—a major international tournament—being just around the corner, concerns are growing more than expectations.
With the head coach for the Asian Cup still unclear, South Korea will proceed with consecutive A-matches according to FIFA's schedule. Venezuela, ranked 47th in the FIFA rankings, failed to qualify for the World Cup finals after finishing eighth in the CONCACAF Qualifiers South American section. Uzbekistan, ranked 60th, is an emerging Asian power that has reached the World Cup finals for the first time in its history through the CONCACAF Qualifiers. In the group stage of the finals, they suffered consecutive defeats to Colombia (1-3), Portugal (0-5), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (1-3), failing to advance to the round of 32.
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*This content was translated by AI.
