The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, collapsed in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Asian Cup at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Alayyan, Qatar, on the 7th, losing 0-2 to Jordan. This ruined the first Asian Cup victory in 64 years.
Naturally, soccer fans are voicing criticism against Klinsmann. The Asian Cup semifinal is not the worst result on the surface, but it was definitely a disappointing result for the team seeking to win the Asian Cup.
Moreover, looking into the contents of the game, it was hard to avoid criticism from soccer fans. Throughout the tournament, Klinsmann played so-called 'do' soccer, which relies on the individual abilities of key players. There was no well-organized tactic. Just the main players in the big leagues, such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, played the game on their own.
While soccer fans' anger was not easily subdued, Coach Klinsmann arrived with some of the players through Incheon International Airport on the 8th. Immediately, Coach Klinsmann conducted an airport interview in front of reporters, and when asked if he was willing to resign, he said, "I wanted to win this tournament. Jordan was a much better team in the semifinals and deserved to advance to the finals."
"I think the joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure that I get from soccer is part of soccer," he said of his criticism against him. "Many people must have been happy when they won the round of 16 or the quarterfinals, and they will be eliminated and negative public opinion will inevitably emerge." He added, "As a leader and a soccer player, one must know how to accept criticism."
Soccer fans were very angry at Klinsmann's comment. He did not apologize at all for his disappointing performance in the semifinals. He just smiled brightly and greeted the fans leisurely. He was well aware of the public criticism. Nevertheless, he remained calm, and furthermore, he said he would prepare for the North-Central American World Cup in 2026.
As a result, an interview with former coach Paulo Bento is emerging as a hot topic again right after the Asian Cup. Bento led the Korean national soccer team and participated in the 2019 UAE Asian Cup. However, he collapsed in the quarterfinals with a shock loss of 0-1 to Qatar. Criticism prevailed even at that time. 안전 토토사이트
Afterwards, Bento said in an airport interview after the Asian Cup, "You don't have to blame the players for the results. The players tried to implement our soccer well. It was not enough in this tournament, but there was nothing wrong with the philosophy." Rather than an apology, he properly set fire to the angry public sentiment of the soccer fans.