[Official Announcement] South Korean Football Appoints Former Spanish National Team Coach Moreno as Interim Head Coach... May Also Lead Asian Cup Campaign

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Roberto Moreno (48, Spain), who previously led the Spanish national football team, has been appointed as interim head coach to lead South Korean football.

The Korea Football Association announced on the 1st that it has appointed Roberto Moreno as the interim head coach for the men's national football team.

On the 1st, the association held its seventh board meeting of 2026 at Cheonan's Korea Football Park and approved the appointment of a total of six coaching staff members, including Coach Moreno, to fill the vacant Nam Ja-guk-ga (CEO) team coaching positions following the World Cup.

Coach Moreno previously served as senior coach and head coach of the Spanish national team from 2018 to 2019. From 2014 to 2017, he worked as senior coach at FC Barcelona.

The association explained that "despite his relatively young age, Moreno's strengths lie in his proven experience leading top-tier clubs and national teams worldwide, along with his exceptional ability to design tactics and analyze opponents based on data utilization." Most recently, from the 2024–2025 season, he led the Russian club FC Sochi.

The interim coaching staff working alongside Coach Moreno consists of five experts in their respective fields. Eduardo Docompo, his former senior coach at FC Sochi; Hasint Magriña, a coach specializing in analysis and training methodology with diverse experience; and Victor Bravo de Soto, who achieved outstanding results as a head coach in Spain's lower leagues, will assist Coach Moreno.

All members of the coaching staff are from Spain: Javier Chocaro, who has worked as a physical coach in major European leagues; and Nico Bosch, a goalkeeping coach with over 10 years of experience in Spain's La Liga.

This marks the first time the football association has selected an A-team head coach through an open recruitment process. At its board meeting held at the end of July, the association approved the selection procedure for an interim coach to lead six scheduled A-match window games from September to November, following regulations set by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.

Previously, the football association formed an evaluation committee comprising some members of the Power Strengthening Committee and external evaluators. Final negotiations were concluded last weekend after a process involving initial document review, second-stage online interviews, in-person meetings, and contract condition adjustments.

Hyun Young-min of Jeon Ryeok-gang-hwa (Chairman) stated, "Given the significant public interest in procedural legitimacy and fairness regarding this interim coach appointment, we made considerable efforts to comply with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's standards."

He added, "Coach Moreno already demonstrated a high level of understanding of South Korean football and presented various tactical alternatives, showing remarkable enthusiasm. We expect the Moreno-led team, selected through a rigorous process, to play a key role in revitalizing the national team's atmosphere and improving performance."

The contract period for Coach Moreno's team extends until November 27. It is reported that conditions allowing him to continue leading the men's national football team through the Asian Cup may be included following an evaluation after the six matches.

Meanwhile, at today's board meeting, the football association approved the need to replenish members of the Power Strengthening Committee, citing overlapping schedules between the A-match window and the Asian Games period, as well as the necessity for objective and multi-faceted evaluation of the men's A-team operations.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original