Kim Min-jae's first confession on the World Cup disaster: "Even the players couldn't do it in the South Africa match... For the next coach, 'there must be a clear vision of the desired football'"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, a key defender for the South Korean national football team, has spoken out for the first time about the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America disaster. In particular, he honestly admitted that "even the players couldn't do it" regarding the match against South Africa, which provided the decisive reason for elimination from the group stage due to a shocking defeat.

Kim Min-jae appeared on broadcaster Kim Jong-kook's YouTube channel, which was released on the 6th, reflecting on the North American World Cup and sharing his thoughts on the national team's poor performance.

Visiting Jeju Island for Bayern Munich's Korean tour, Kim Min-jae apologized to football fans, saying, "You must have had high expectations for Ha Go (CEO)team, but I'm sorry that we ended up with a poor result."

He then promised, "From now on, the players will take the lead first and try to change the atmosphere so they can perform well."

The South Korean national team, led by former coach Hong Myung-bo, failed to meet expectations at the North American World Cup. Competing in Group A alongside co-hosts Mexico, Czech Republic, and South Africa, the team finished third in the group with one win and two losses, resulting in elimination from the group stage.

In particular, the 0-1 defeat against South Africa in the final group match was painful. South Korea secured a 2-1 comeback victory against Czech Republic in the first match and narrowly lost 0-1 to Mexico in the second match. Although a draw against South Africa in the final match would have given them a high chance of advancing to the Round of 32, they ultimately lost 0-1 after a poor performance.

As a result, South Korea ranked only 10th among third-placed teams in the group standings. In this tournament, eight out of twelve third-placed teams with better records advanced to the Round of 32, but South Korea failed to meet that standard.

After being eliminated from the World Cup, criticism against the South Korean football community intensified. In particular, responsibility was heavily focused on former coach Hong.

Following the confirmation of South Korea's elimination, former coach Hong held an emergency press conference locally and stepped down as the national team manager. He also faced strong criticism from football fans during his return journey to the country.

In this context, Kim Min-jae honestly admitted that the players also bore responsibility for the defeat against South Africa, not just former coach Hong.

When Kim Jong-kook asked, "The players lost to South Africa, but didn't they all try hard?" Kim Min-jae replied, "Honestly, even the players couldn't do it in the South Africa match."

He continued, "Overall, compared to other matches, things were not good and were difficult," reflecting on the situation at that time.

Kim Min-jae was substituted during the second half of the South Africa match. During this process, he was captured strongly expressing his opinion to the coaching staff, which also sparked controversy.

Regarding this, Kim Min-jae recalled, "I was substituted because my calf wasn't in good condition. However, there were parts that didn't go well during the game."

He then explained, "That shouldn't have happened, but I said it was necessary to bring on an attacker."

Regarding the possibility of participating in the World Cup four years from now, he said, "If given the chance, I will play. But if my skills don't keep up or things don't go well, I plan to step down without looking back. There are many young defenders with bright futures."

Regarding 'Captain' Son Heung-min of LAFC, whose retirement from the national team had been speculated, he conveyed his thoughts by saying, "I think he will play in the next World Cup as well."

Currently, the South Korean national team has not yet appointed a permanent successor to former coach Hong. A temporary manager is expected to lead the team during the A-matches scheduled for September and October.

South Korea will face Ecuador on September 24 and Uruguay on the 28th. They will then play friendly matches against Venezuela on October 2 and Uzbekistan on the 6th.

Kim Min-jae also clearly stated his desired conditions for the next national team coach. He said, "I hope the coach has a clear vision of the football they want to play and can address situations when players do not follow the tactics as planned."

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*This content was translated by AI.