Will coach Jurgen Klinsmann (59, Germany), who scored a goal against Korea in the World Cup finals, take the helm of the Korean national soccer team?
Coach Klinsmann, the ‘German legend’, is rapidly emerging as the successor to former manager Paulo Bento. According to an official familiar with the soccer world, “It is true that the Korea Football Association and coach Klinsman are currently negotiating.” It is not a simple contact. As a result of the coverage, director Klinsman is the first target for negotiations, and the actual negotiations have progressed considerably. Significant progress has been made in the most important salary negotiations, and it is said that in the staff issue, it is said that it has taken the lead to accompany one or two people, including the head coach, rather than the ‘division’.
Michael Müller, the head of the National Team Power Enhancement Committee from Germany, who had been moving under the water, also rises to the surface. Chairman Mueller plans to fly to California, USA, where coach Klinsman is staying. He is expected to meet Klinsman in person in the US and coordinate details. Manager Klinsman has experienced both the World Cup as a player and manager, and has been reported to have received high marks for going back and forth between the club and the national team.
Coach Klinsmann is a German legend striker who needs no explanation. Coach Klinsmann, who was called the ‘blonde bomber’ during his active career, played for big clubs such as Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco, Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Sampdoria. Klinsman’s true value shined especially in the A match. He made 108 appearances and scored 47 goals. He also experienced winning the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
However, after transforming into a leader, he shows a somewhat ups and downs. Immediately after his retirement, coach Klinsmann, who took the helm of the German national team preparing for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, changed the team that was in a slump at the time and raised Germany to third place. Afterwards, coach Klinsmann, who was fired as Bayern Munich manager but was fired due to poor performance, led the U.S. national team for five years from 2011. He even made it to the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but was sacked several times with results that fell short of expectations. In 2019, he took over as manager of Hertha Berlin, but resigned after just two months. Since then메이저놀이터, he has continued his savage life. At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, he worked as a member of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Technical Research Group (TSG) along with Cha Du-ri, head of the FC Seoul Youth Enhancement Office. A German kicker, who reported the negotiations between coach Klinsmann and the Korea Football Association, analyzed that ‘Cha Doo-ri must have built a bridge’.
It is also related to Korean soccer. In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, coach Klinsman left a strong impression on Korean fans by scoring two goals against Korea in the final match of the group stage. At that time, Germany won 3-2. In 2004, he came to Korea as coach of the German national team and suffered a 1-3 defeat against Korea, then led by coach Joe Bonfrere. Prior to this negotiation, I had received an offer to coach the national team. Bento was mentioned as a candidate before being appointed, and it is known that actual negotiations were carried out.
Klinsmann’s tactical competence was questioned throughout his managerial career. He is different from former coach Bento, who gave a tactical color with a clear build-up football. There is a question mark as to whether he is the best candidate to set the direction for Korean soccer, which will make a fresh start after the World Cup in Qatar, but it is a fact that Klinsman’s trip to Korea caught fire under various circumstances. As the Korea Football Association has repeatedly announced that it will finish the appointment of the national team coach by the end of February, the point of view is also leaning towards coach Klinsman. The Korea Football Association plans to join the new coach in the announcement of the Qatar World Cup TSG results scheduled for March 15th. And it is a policy to direct the March A match scheduled on the 24th (Colombia match) and 28th (Uruguay match).
The last variable is ‘Residence in Korea’. Klinsmann is from Germany, but he has settled in the US since the 1990s. He even acquired American citizenship. Even when he led the German national team, he stayed mainly in the United States, not Germany, and was criticized by German soccer figures. When he was coaching Hertha Berlin, he even caused an embarrassing incident where he left his coaching license at his home in the United States.
As for the new supervision standards, Chairman Müller mentioned five major factors: professionalism, experience, motivation, teamwork cultivation, and environmental factors. As for the environmental factors, he explained in detail, “whether or not the director can live in Korea.” It means that we will find a manager who can affect the whole Korean football, not a half-way manager. Coach Bert van Marweig, who negotiated before taking over as head coach of Stielike, also refused to accept the condition of residing in Korea, and negotiations broke down in the end.
It is unclear whether coach Klinsman, who has caused controversy over his residency in the United States, will fully accept this condition. As is known, four years ago, when the Korea Football Association negotiated with coach Klinsman, there was a disagreement in this area. In the end, whether to accept ‘residence in Korea’ could be the watershed of Klinsman’s appointment as manager.