Police begin investigation into Chairman Chung Mong-gyu’s ‘unilateral appointment of Klinsmann’
Whose words are true?
Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, and former German national soccer team coach Klinsmann are talking about different things about the process of selecting the coach of the Korean national soccer team.
The Korea Football Association dismissed coach Klinsmann on the 16th, one year after his appointment, due to colorless tactics and poor leadership revealed at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup.
Although they advanced to the semifinals and performed better than the 2019 United Arab Emirates (UAE) tournament (where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals), they were criticized for repeatedly failing to play ‘Do it for me’ soccer, relying only on players without any strategy or tactics. In particular, the aftermath was severe due to internal conflicts within the team.
Chairman Chung explained the reason for his dismissal, saying, “Coach Klinsmann failed to demonstrate the leadership ability and leadership that we expect from a coach of the Korean national team, including game management, player management, and work attitude that lead to the national team’s competitiveness.”
Regarding the criticism that Chairman Chung’s arbitrary judgment was at play in the process of appointing Klinsmann to the leadership position last year, he drew a line by saying, “There seems to be a misunderstanding.”
At the same time, “We followed the same process as when selecting (former) coach Paulo Bento. The number was narrowed from 61 to 23, and finally, Michael Müller, Chairman of the Power Strengthening Committee, selected 5 people. Afterwards, interviews were held, and the final decision was made with Klinsmann. “I did,” he explained.
It was emphasized that there were no problems in the director selection process as normal and transparent procedures were followed at the association level.
Meanwhile, an interview that Director Klinsmann did with the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel last month is belatedly attracting attention. This is because there are many differences from Chairman Chung’s explanation.
Klinsmann and Chairman Chung met at a stadium during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Coincidentally, this was after coach Bento announced his intention to resign after losing in the round of 16 to Brazil.
Klinsmann, who met Chairman Chung in the VIP section, is said to have asked Chairman Chung, “Nice to meet you. Are you looking for a director?”
According to the report, Klinsmann said, “I only said it as a joke, but at the time, Chairman Chung completely stiffened up and asked, ‘Are you serious?'”
The two met at a hotel cafe in Doha the next day.
Der Spiegel explained, “At this meeting where various stories were exchanged, Klinsmann told Chairman Chung, ‘Don’t be too stressed. We’ve known each other for a long time, so I was just saying this. If you’re interested, please contact me again.'”
He added, “A few weeks later, Chairman Chung called Klinsmann directly and said, ‘I am interested.’”
Director Klinsmann also emphasized that he was close enough to resolve issues with Chairman Chung through text messages when something was difficult or unpleasant.
Even if you look at the specific remarks and overall context of Chairman Chung and Klinsmann, you can see a significant difference.
Who is lying?
The police began an investigation into Chairman Chung, who was accused of obstruction of business.
It may be said to be a coincidence, but ultimately, the wrong meeting between Chairman Chung and Klinsmann plunged Korean soccer into a quagmire.
◎ Sympathetic media Newsis fgl75@newsis.com
2024-02-20 05:57:00
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