'Ahn Jung-hwan Murder Threats' Hiddink's Anger: "Absurd; He Should Have Acted Like a True Italian Gentleman"

*This content was translated by AI.

Former South Korean national team coach Guus Hiddink (80, Netherlands), who led the nation to the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup semi-finals, sharply criticized the disgraceful behavior shown by the Italian football community after their defeat in the Round of 16.

In an interview published on the 9th (Korean time) via Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio's website, Coach Hiddink reflected on the World Cup from 24 years ago and expressed his displeasure, stating, "It was absurd that a player then playing for Perugia (Ahn Jung-hwan) received such treatment."

At that time, Ahn Jung-hwan scored a dramatic golden goal in the 12th minute of extra time during the Round of 16 match against Italy while the score was tied 1-1, leading South Korea to the quarterfinals. However, with Italy's elimination from the tournament due to Ahn Jung-hwan's golden goal while he was playing for Serie A club Perugia, public criticism against Ahn Jung-hwan erupted in Italy.

Journalist Di Marzio elaborated on Coach Hiddink's interview, noting, "At that time, Ahn Jung-hwan received death threats, and Luciano Gaucci, the owner of Perugia at the time, stated, 'That man (Ahn Jung-hwan) will never set foot in Perugia again. I have no intention of paying wages to someone who ruined Italian football.'"

Nevertheless, Journalist Di Marzio asked Coach Hiddink, "At that time in Italy, there were comments saying Ahn Jung-hwan 'bit the hand that fed him.' If he hadn't grown in Serie A, wouldn't it be possible that he couldn't have played as a starter for the South Korean national team in the World Cup?"

In response, Coach Hiddink countered, "Does this mean Ahn Jung-hwan shouldn't have played in the match? Should he not have scored a goal? Is that your answer? Of course not. This is sports." He added, "Ahn Jung-hwan played for South Korea because he is Korean. Should he have scored an own goal against Italy's net to benefit them? The answer is 'no'."

He continued, "This is simply sports. You celebrate the winning team and that's it. If you lose, you must act with dignity and like a gentleman. Did the Italian football community do so?" He further remarked, "A lot of time has passed. Italy failed to win that match despite having stars like Maldini and Totti. There is no reason to complain now."

Coach Hiddink also expressed his displeasure when asked about the blatant accusation of bias regarding the referee in the Round of 16 match against Italy, Ecuadorian official Byron Moreno, who was questioned whether he wore a South Korean jersey under his referee uniform. "It shows a biased perspective, so I am not pleased," Hiddink stated. He added, "Vieri also struck a South Korean player with his elbow in the first half without receiving a card at that time. Blaming the referee is easy, but if Italy had their full strength back then, they should have dominated South Korea. Yet they did not."

Coach Hiddink reflected, "At that time, the South Korean national team prepared for the World Cup with extremely high intensity day by day. As a coach, I was given the opportunity to build the national team and make good selections, allowing us to recruit players of different types than before. Preparation leading up to the World Cup was very well done." He concluded, "South Korea was one of the best teams in terms of both physical strength and technical ability at that time."

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*This content was translated by AI.