On May 20th, the Korea Football Association appointed former Ulsan Hyundai (now Ulsan HD) coach Kim Do-hoon as the interim coach for South Korea's June World Cup Asia second qualifying round. As a result, the South Korean national football team will play without a permanent head coach until June 11, 2024. Since Klinsmann's dismissal on February 16, 2024, the team has spent a full four months with either an interim coach or a vacancy. Why is the appointment of the head coach for the South Korean national football team being delayed this much?
Before that, t’s important to understand the reason behind the very high termination fee for coach Klinsmann. To understand this story, let's briefly explore the differences, dismissal, and resignation in football. There are three possible scenarios for ending a coach's contract in football:
Firstly, contract expiration occurs when the existing contract period is fully completed, and the coach moves to another team. This is the ideal scenario.
Secondly, being dismissed or “sacked” is one other reason. This is when the employer, i.e., the association, unilaterally decides to change the coach. In this case, the association or club must pay the coach the full amount of the remaining contract period. However, if the coach is appointed to a new managerial position, the remaining salary does not need to be paid.
Finally, there is obviously the reason of resignation. In the event of using the method described in 2, the penalty incurred in the process is very large. Therefore, before dismissing a coach, the club mutually agrees with the coach to terminate the contract, which is called resignation. In this case, the coach is usually paid a lump sum and can receive the money regardless of a new contract, making it a commonly used method.
In this case, Klinsmann falls under scenario 2. However, considering Klinsmann's age and career, it is unlikely that he will take up another coaching position, so the termination fee must be fully paid. It has been revealed that the amount is between 7 billion KRW (approximately 5.4 million USD) over the remaining three years, or 2.7 to 2.9 billion KRW (approximately 2.1 to 2.2 million USD) per year. Including the coaching staff, the total termination fee amounts to 10 billion KRW (approximately 7.7 million USD). The problem is that with such an expenditure, appointing a new coach becomes financially challenging.
Nevertheless, the position of head coach for the South Korean national team is highly attractive. Almost guaranteed World Cup qualification - With the increased number of slots for the World Cup teams from the CONCACAF World Cup, South Korea is almost certain to qualify. Low expectations - For a team that is almost guaranteed to qualify for the World Cup, achieving results beyond the Round of 16 can significantly enhance a coach's career.
For these reasons, many domestic and foreign coaches have been approached. The following is a list of coaches rumored to be in consideration. Names in bold are those still rumored to be in the running:
Hwang Sun-hong (former South Korea Olympic team coach) - There were rumors that the association intended to appoint Hwang Sun-hong as the permanent coach if he performed well in the A matches and successfully led the team to the Olympics during his interim tenure in March. However, he failed in both, and naturally, the permanent position was not offered. Contrary to the association's plans, Hwang himself firmly expressed that he was not interested in the A team coaching position and is currently the top candidate for the next manager of Daejeon Hana Citizen.
Hong Myung-bo (current Ulsan HD FC coach)
In March, as the A matches approached, there were rumors prioritizing Hong Myung-bo for the domestic coaching position. However, due to conflicts with the association during his tenure as the coach for the 2010 London Olympics and the national team, he repeatedly expressed disinterest through press conferences.
Kim Hak-bum (unemployed at the time / now Jeju United coach), and Choi Yong-soo (former Gangwon FC coach)
The association wanted to appoint a domestic coach before the March A matches and listed almost all domestic coaches, including Hong Myung-bo, Kim Ki-dong, Kim Hak-bum, Hwang Sun-hong, and Choi Yong-soo.
Şenol Güneş (former FC Seoul coach)
He is still the most interested candidate for the South Korean coaching position. He has national team experience with Turkey and understands the K League well, having worked in Korea. However, the association wanted a younger coach, and at 71 years old, he is considered a veteran looking for his final coaching role, pushing him down the list.
Jesse Marsch (unemployed at the time, now Canada national team coach)
He was the top candidate for the South Korean national team. At 50, he is relatively young, with experience in the EPL and Bundesliga and having coached Hwang Hee-chan. Despite meeting many criteria, he was reluctant to work from home due to tax issues, leading to a significant salary gap, and Canada, supported by MLS, ultimately hired him. (In simple terms, he was satisfied with the pre-tax salary but not with the post-tax net income.)
Hervé Renard (France women's national team coach)
He was in the candidate pool with Güneş and Marsch but was excluded due to an unprofessional attitude in meetings (e.g., rescheduling appointments arbitrarily).
Vasco Seabra (coach in the Portuguese league)
A young 40-year-old coach rumored to be the "Portuguese Wenger," known for his emphasis on data. There are rumors that Jeong Hae-seong, the head of the Korea Football Association's strategic enhancement committee, met him in a meeting.
Jesús Casas (Iraq national team coach)
Rumored to be one of the final four candidates, along with Marsch, Güneş, and Seabra. However, being the current coach of Iraq's national team poses a risk due to the need to pay a termination fee.
Bruno Lage (expected to be appointed Lyon coach)
He was in the candidate pool but faced issues due to a pre-contract with Lyon.
In conclusion, it seems that the appointment of the head coach for the South Korean national football team will take at least another month. Due to the 10 billion KRW (approximately 7.7 million USD) termination fee for Klinsmann, the amount that can be offered to a new coach is quite low, at around 2.5 billion KRW (approximately 1.9 million USD) before tax and 1.5 billion KRW (approximately 1.15 million USD) after tax. However, there are rumors of negotiations with two high-profile coaches not on the list, and in this case, the association president, Chung Mong-gyu, might use his personal funds.
The association's initial shortlist prioritized domestic coaches, but Hong Myung-bo is highly unlikely to take the position, Hwang Sun-hong has missed his chance, Kim Ki-dong and Kim Hak-bum have recently taken up club team positions this season, and Lee Jung-hyo is also not expected to accept the national team coach position at this time, leading to a shift towards foreign coaches.
Negotiations with Jesse Marsch came closest but fell through due to his refusal to reside in Korea. The door remains open with the other four candidates, and news of negotiations with two high-profile coaches suggests that it will take at least another month.
I personally think that a month is the minimum, and if we look further ahead, the appointment could be delayed until just before the September A matches, after the Olympics, around August to September. Personally, I worry that the high-profile coaches might just be famous as players, like Klinsmann. Fortunately, it seems there is some backup with Güneş remaining unemployed. It appears the association views Güneş as a safety net while exploring other options. Since there are only 1-2 weeks left before the upcoming matches, it seems the goal is to appoint a coach before the next A matches in September.
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