Former Gus Poyet, who made it to the final candidate list in 2024, fails again with document screening... Second attempt at becoming South Korea national team coach also falls through

*This content was translated by AI.

Former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors manager Gus Poyet, who had reached the final candidate list when the South Korea national team coach was selected in 2024, failed to pass the document screening for his second attempt.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on the 17th that it has completed document screening for applicants who applied for the temporary manager position over the past weekend.

According to football circles, multiple domestic and foreign coaches applied for this temporary manager selection, and among them, former manager Poyet is reported to have been eliminated during the document screening phase.

Former manager Poyet had previously been named as a candidate for the South Korea national team coach position. During the 2024 selection process for the national team head coach, he advanced to the final candidate group and competed. At that time, the KFA ultimately selected Hong Myung-bo as the head coach.

Subsequently, former manager Poyet took charge of Jeonbuk in 2025, establishing a direct connection with Korean football.

His achievements were also significant. In his first season at Jeonbuk, he led the team to win both the K League and the Korea Cup, achieving the double crown. However, after the season ended, he parted ways with Jeonbuk and left the club just one year later.

After achieving success on Korean soil, he was once again mentioned as a candidate for the national team head coach position. Former manager Poyet also showed an active stance in this attempt. Even after current YonginFC Technical Director Lee Dong-gook repeatedly expressed his refusal, Poyet persistently proposed the national team coaching staff role and eventually secured his agreement to join. It is also reported that former Jeonbuk coach Choi Eun-seong, a legendary goalkeeper, was preparing to join the coaching staff as well.

However, former manager Poyet's second attempt ended at an earlier stage than two years ago. In 2024, he reached the final candidate list, but this time he did not even get an interview opportunity.

Japanese media outlet All Football also reported on former manager Poyet's elimination. The media stated, "Poyet was not included in the final interview candidate list for the South Korea national team temporary coach position," and added, "The KFA recently notified applicants of the document screening results via email, and it is understood that Poyet also received a notification of his elimination."

The KFA plans to conduct online interviews with candidates who passed the document screening. The interview schedule may be adjusted during coordination with each candidate.

The list of interviewees will not be disclosed. The KFA explained, "Considering personal information protection and the ongoing nature of the current selection process, we will not provide detailed information on the status of document applicants or the identities of successful candidates."

Following the interviews, negotiation procedures will follow. Based on the evaluation committee's results, the KFA plans to determine the priority negotiation order for candidates and begin formal negotiations starting with the top-ranked candidates.

The position of South Korea national team head coach is currently vacant. Former manager Hong Myung-bo, who led the national team since 2024, stepped down from his role taking responsibility for the poor performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. South Korea failed to advance from the group stage of the World Cup with one win and two losses.

Prior to selecting a permanent head coach, the KFA plans to operate the national team under a temporary manager system during the A-match period in September and October. South Korea will face Ecuador on September 24, followed by a match against Uruguay on the 28th. They will then play friendly matches against Venezuela on October 2 and Uzbekistan on the 6th.

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*This content was translated by AI.