"I've wanted to be the South Korea coach for several years," Moreno, when asked about his ambition to become the permanent head coach, drew a line in the sand. [Incheon Airport Scene]

*This content was translated by AI.

"There was no reason not to do so."

When asked about his motivation for applying for the interim head coach position of the South Korea national football team, Robert Moreno (49, Spain) answered firmly. This was after he made his first public appearance with reporters upon entering the country through Incheon International Airport on the 13th, following the confirmation of his appointment as interim head coach. Coach Moreno stated, "I have wanted to be the South Korea national team coach for several years," and added, "Becoming the head coach of the South Korea national team is a great honor for anyone."

In fact, Moreno's connection with Korean football dates back three years. He was mentioned as a candidate for the new head coach following the departure of Portuguese manager Paulo Bento. However, at that time, the Korea Football Association chose German manager Jürgen Klinsman instead. Since then, South Korean football went through managers Klinsman and Hong Myung-bo before launching an open recruitment for an interim head coach. Moreno submitted his application directly and was ultimately selected, finally taking charge of the team.

Coach Moreno said, "I came with a sense of responsibility. I am very happy to lead the South Korea national team." He added, "(While waiting for my work visa) I analyzed every match the national team played each day and continued to study Korean culture." On this day, Coach Moreno also greeted reporters in Korean with "Annyeonghaseyo" (Hello).

Following this, Coach Moreno also addressed the disappointing performance of the South Korea national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. He said, "I admit it was a very sad situation. I will never forget what happened then," but added, "However, now we must look ahead and keep moving forward."

At the same time, Coach Moreno held back on comments about his desire to become the permanent head coach. Moreno's contract runs until November 27. He will only be in charge of six A-match friendly games this year: four matches in September and October, and two in November. After evaluation by the Korea Football Association, he may also lead the team through January next year for the AFC Asian Cup, but this has not been confirmed.

By the latest after the Asian Cup, a new recruitment process must be conducted to appoint a "permanent head coach" who will lead the team up to the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Regarding Moreno's role as an "interim head coach" rather than a permanent one, Hyun Young-min, Jeon Ryeok-gang-hwa (Chairman) of the Korea Football Association, previously mentioned the election of the next president, explaining that under the new leadership of the Korea Football Association, a permanent head coach must be appointed anew.

However, since Moreno was appointed as interim head coach and is leading the national team first, he may find himself in a relatively advantageous position during the future process of appointing a permanent head coach. Being recognized for his coaching abilities as an interim head coach and naturally being promoted to permanent head coach could be the ideal scenario and ambition that Coach Moreno and his coaching staff envision.

However, Coach Moreno stated, "My goal is to focus on the tasks given to me right now. There are only a few matches ahead," and explained, "I do not plan to focus on other things (such as promotion to permanent head coach)." Instead of showing enthusiasm for becoming the permanent head coach, he emphasized that he will concentrate even more on the matches he must directly lead, including the four A-match games in September and October and the evaluation matches in November.

Rather than hiding his ambition to be promoted to permanent head coach, what Coach Moreno emphasized most was regaining public interest and love for the South Korea national football team. Last year, attendance at A-match games held at Seoul World Cup Stadium dropped to between 20,000 and 30,000 spectators. He aims to reverse the distrust and criticism surrounding the national team and Korean football as a whole.

Coach Moreno stated, "I will make the South Korea national football team something we can be more proud of. I will work hard to make the team better. By uniting the team, I will focus on helping the people of South Korea feel even greater pride in the national team." This was Coach Moreno's first public commitment and resolve as a head coach since arriving in Korea.

Coach Moreno will hold a press conference to announce his appointment and release the squad list for the September-October A-match friendly games at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province on the 14th. Moreno's debut match will be against Ecuador at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th. He will then face Uruguay (Seoul) on the 28th, Venezuela (Ulsan) on the 2nd of next month, and Uzbekistan (Yongin) on the 6th in succession. Until last year, FIFA A-match periods were split into two matches each in September and October, but this year they have been consolidated into a single period from September to October.

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*This content was translated by AI.