[Official] 'Historic First' Open Recruitment for Interim Coach of South Korea's National A Team... Targeting Appointment Within One Month

*This content was translated by AI.

Recruiting the head coach of the A national team through an open process is unprecedented. The Korea Football Association has begun an open recruitment for an interim coach for the vacant position of the men's national football team.

In a press release on the 30th, the association stated, "The board of directors approved the appointment procedure for an interim coach to lead the national team during the A-match window scheduled from September to November on the 24th." It further added, "Accordingly, the appointment will proceed through an open recruitment process in accordance with the National Team Selection and Operation Regulations of the Korean Olympic Committee."

In compliance with the Korean Olympic Committee's regulations requiring a public notice period of at least ten days, the Korea Football Association will begin its announcement on the 30th and close document submissions by 5 p.m. on the 9th. Following document screening and interviews, the association plans to rank coaching candidates and proceed with contract negotiations. Given that the A-match window begins on September 21, the appointment process is expected to be completed within August.

Applicants must submit a team (corporate entity) structure comprising at least five and up to seven members, centered around the head coach. The team members may include coaches, goalkeeping coaches, physical trainers, analysts, etc., and no changes will be permitted after submission.

Eligibility requirements differ by position. For domestic candidates applying for the head coach role, both AFC P-level coaching certification or equivalent and Professional Sports Instructor Level 2 certification are required. Foreign head coach applicants must hold the highest-level coaching certification issued by a continental confederation under FIFA. Domestic coaches must possess AFC A-level coaching certification along with Professional Sports Instructor Level 2 certification, while foreign coaches must have qualifications appropriate to their field and at least five years of coaching experience. Detailed eligibility criteria can be confirmed in the official announcement.

The evaluation committee, composed of performance enhancement committee members and external evaluators in accordance with Korean Olympic Committee regulations, will comprehensively assess applicants' capabilities in managing Jeon Mun-seong-gwa (CEO) teams. Applicants must submit their certifications, resumes, personal statements, and national team operation plans. Resumes must include details demonstrating professional expertise such as coaching experience, major tournament results, and coaching achievements. Personal statements should cover coaching philosophy, key accomplishments, motivations for applying to the national team, and future vision. National team operation plans must specifically outline player selection and management strategies, game models and tactical implementation plans, match operation plans, coaching staff composition and role distribution, as well as operational direction and goals for the national team.

The association has previously conducted open recruitment for coaches of the men's U-20 national team and Olympic representative teams. However, this marks the first time an A-team head coach position is being filled through public recruitment across both men's and women's categories.

Furthermore, given concerns and opinions from within and outside the football community regarding the open recruitment for the A-team head coach position, the association plans to thoroughly compile the advantages and disadvantages derived from this recruitment process. It also intends to continue consultations with the Korean Olympic Committee to enable institutional improvements if necessary in the future.

The appointed interim coach and the national team are scheduled to play a total of six matches during the confirmed A-match period from September to November. The head coach for next year's AFC Asian Cup in January remains uncertain.

On the 28th, the association officially announced that two of the four friendly matches scheduled for September and October have been confirmed: Venezuela on October 2 and Uzbekistan on October 6. With FIFA consolidating the previous five annual A-match windows into four starting this year, the national team will play all four matches during the September and October A-match periods. The remaining two opponents for September are currently under discussion.

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*This content was translated by AI.