Contract stipulates “must reside in South Korea”
When Jürgen Klinsmann (59-Germany) was named head coach of the South Korean national soccer team in March, there was no shortage of opposition. This was despite Klinsmann’s decent track record as head coach of Germany’s national team in 2006, when they finished third at the World Cup, and in 2014, when he led the United States to the round of 16 at the World Cup in Brazil.
The main reason was attendance. Klinsmann lives in the United States. During his two years as Germany’s head coach, he was criticized by the German media for not returning to his home in the U.S. for at least a month or two once he was away. In 2020, he parted ways with Hertha Berlin after leaving for the U.S. in the middle of the season, later announcing his resignation via social media.
The Korean Football Association was aware of this history and included a clause in Klinsmann’s contract that required him to be based in South Korea. At his inaugural press conference, he said, “I’m the head coach of the Korean national team, so of course I’ll live in Korea.” He even bought a house in Seoul. He even bought a house in Seoul.
But in his fifth month on the job, Klinsmann has spent 67 days in Korea and 90 days in the U.S. or Europe. Not counting the time he spent in Korea for the evaluation, he spent just over two weeks there. He spent three weeks working remotely from home in May and took a vacation to the U.S. throughout July. He spent three months in the U.S. and Europe to check on Korean players in Europe. A representative from the KFA explained, “There are no regulations on how long you have to stay in Korea.”
The role of the national soccer coach is not just to lead the team to international competitions. They have the power to change the soil of Korean soccer by identifying new talent and experimenting with new tactics. His predecessor, Paulo Bento (54-Portugal), is known for staying in Korea with his family for more than 90% of his tenure, except for summer and winter vacations. He quietly observed players from the stands at every K League game and developed relatively unknown players like Hwang In-beom and Cho Kyu-sung into national team mainstays.
Today, Klinsmann spends his time observing European players like Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, who are already proven. According to soccer insiders, it’s up to the national team’s technical advisor to recommend new faces by watching Korean professional and college teams play. “I didn’t see him play,” Klinsmann said of Ahn, who made his A-match debut in June. “(The truth is) Chaduri has all the selection rights,” he said.카지노사이트
Since Klinsmann took over, the national team has two draws and two losses. There’s still a long way to go to reach Klinsmann’s bold goals of winning the Asian Cup and reaching the World Cup quarterfinals. The national team will play Wales and Saudi Arabia in England next month. Klinsmann, who left South Korea on Jan. 1, will remain in Europe until the trials. Klinsmann is paid a salary of more than 1.8 billion won by the Korea Football Association.