'System Collapse': South Korean Football Faces Major Crisis, Band-Aid Solutions Fail to Fix... Future Remains Foggy [Founding Issue ②]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

South Korean football is facing chaos and crisis—from the collapse of the national team system to the mass resignation of top officials, and the disarray of association administration still drifting without a clear exit. StarNews examines the causes of this crisis in South Korean football and diagnoses the path toward restoring broken trust and achieving normalization. /Editor's Note

Hong Myung-bo’s team, which set sail without procedural legitimacy, suffered an unprecedented early exit from the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, finishing 34th out of 48 nations (1 win, 2 losses). Had the tournament maintained its 32-team format, this would have been the worst result in history—failing even to reach the finals. Despite the simultaneous resignation of the head coach and association leadership, the subsequent recovery process was marred by administrative vacuums, muddy courtroom exposés, farcical open recruitment for an interim manager, and a chain reaction of scandals including past sexual bribery involving international match referees. South Korean football continues to sink into an endless quagmire.

The CONCACAF World Cup failure was a foreseeable disaster. Despite having two years of preparation time, there was no opponent-specific strategy or tactical flexibility. The defensive three-back formation insisted upon since the EAFF E-1 Football Championship collapsed during all three group-stage matches at the finals, conceding goals throughout.

The South African coach, whom they had underestimated as the weakest opponent, expressed confidence by stating, “We have finished analyzing Korea,” and indeed, Korea lacked any tactical countermeasures. This was compounded by the decision to exclude Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung from the starting lineup in the final match against South Africa, leading to self-destruction. The pledge not to repeat the 2014 Brazil World Cup failure returned as humiliation—the lowest world ranking in 44 years.

Immediately after the disaster, former coach Hong Myung-bo resigned within two minutes at Chivas Verde Valley in Guadalajara, Mexico, reading a statement of apology without taking any questions. Even reporters were forced to leave the scene in under ten minutes. Former President Jeong Mong-gyu Jeon (Chairman) also stepped down. However, the recovery process descended further into chaos.

Lee Im-saeng, who had led the appointment process, chose to flee by accepting a position as Technical Director at Cambodia’s Nagaworld FC instead of issuing an apology or appearing before a hearing. The former director is under suspicion of attempting to destroy evidence by replacing his phone with one from Daejeon. Meanwhile, in response to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism audit findings, he filed a lawsuit participation request with Seoul High Court, exposing that “Jeong Mong-gyu Jeon (Chairman) instructed him to appoint Coach Hong Myung-bo” and that he received specific directives from former Executive Vice President Kim Jeong-bae regarding appointment announcements and contract procedures.

Even the National Assembly hearing turned into a farce. The July 30 session of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee focused not on system verification but on digging into personal matters such as the former coach’s children’s military service issues and posed unprofessional questions like “Why did you lose?”

Furthermore, past corruption that undermined the morality of South Korean football surfaced. According to Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism investigation results, the Football Association was found to have provided sexual services—including payments via corporate cards at massage establishments—to foreign referee teams in seven matches, including the 2011–2012 London Olympics qualifiers and Brazil World Cup qualifiers. The association even approved a LINE message from the vice president under the guise of “referee massage.”

Even amid this internal turmoil, the national team site remained trapped in a vicious cycle of short-term band-aid solutions. According to StarNews’ investigation, immediately after the World Cup in early July, the Football Association received numerous offers from prominent head coaches. Former coach Paulo Bento submitted an expression of interest with specific conditions, and not only former coach Gus Poyet but also multiple foreign coaches were contacted through agents.

With the Ha Ji-man (Chairman) position vacant, the Football Association shifted to a temporary leadership structure rather than appointing a permanent head coach. This move raised concerns of repeating past failures, such as rotating interim managers for five months after dismissing coach Klinsmann and later experiencing the chaotic appointment of Hong Myung-bo.

For the first time in association history, an open recruitment process compliant with the Korean Sports Council regulations was introduced, but it also generated controversy. A quantitative evaluation method that summed up the entire coaching staff’s career experience led to the rejection of a coach who had previously led Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to a double crown last season, after he included coach Lee Dong-gook in his squad as a bridge figure during document screening. Additionally, some raised fairness concerns regarding the qualification requirements imposed on domestic coaches.

The Football Association held a board meeting on the 1st and officially approved the appointment of Roberto Moreno (Spain). Moreno’s team, composed entirely of Spanish nationals, has a basic contract period extending until November 27.

Originally, the association had announced plans to hire a short-term interim manager for only six A-match games from September to November. However, it appears that during negotiations, evaluation results led to adjustments in contract terms, including an extension option allowing Moreno to lead the team through the 2027 Asian Cup in January.

In response, C, a football industry insider, stated: “There are concerns about repeatedly relying on short-term interim managers whenever the national team faces instability.” He added, “It is regrettable that the temporary manager’s term was extended from November to the Asian Cup during negotiations, and that no long-term plan was made despite interest from top foreign coaches. A fair competitive environment for domestic and foreign coaches must be established, along with systematic evaluation criteria.”

Following the CONCACAF World Cup disaster, Lee Hu-e-do (CEO) team operations still face significant challenges. It remains to be seen whether South Korean football, preparing for the 2027 Asian Cup under a temporary leadership structure, can overcome this crisis and rebuild its system.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original