South Korea football coach quits as president calls for probe into World Cup loss

Hong Myung-bo has resigned as head coach of South Korea's men's national football team after they failed to advance to the World Cup knockout stage.

The team had hoped they could still qualify for the next round of the tournament as one of the best third-placed teams, but that hope was quashed on Saturday.

The early exit has prompted widespread criticism at home, with President Lee Jae-myung calling for an investigation into reasons behind the team's disappointing performance.

Hong apologised to fans on Sunday and said the responsibility "rests entirely with me as head coach".

Ranked 32nd in FIFA's men's rankings and led by star player Son Heung-min, South Korea recorded two losses and one win at the World Cup, finishing behind Mexico and South Africa, who are ranked 15th and 60th respectively.

Criticism mounted quickly after the team's last match with South Africa on Thursday, which South Korea lost 1-0.

The defeat left South Korea third in Group A, but still gave them hope to qualify for the next round under a new rule introduced with this tournament's expansion from 32 to 48 teams, which allows the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage to progress to the knockout round.

Announcing his resignation at a news conference in western Mexico, Hong said that "we didn't deliver the results that our fans expected".

"Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether," Hong said. "I will cheer for the national team from the bottom of my heart and hope that the team will be trusted and loved by the people once again."

The announcement came after President Lee said that he felt "not just confusion but utter bewilderment at the unexpected outcome".

In a post on X, Lee said that the early exit of the team "appears to be a failure of organisation and personnel".

"When favouritism and cronyism take precedence over competence in selecting a commander, the result is as predictable as fire burning paper," he said.

Hong's appointment to the head coach post was controversial from the start. The former defender was a hero of South Korea's 2002 World Cup success, having captained the team to a historic semi-final finish. But when he led the team as a coach in 2014, they failed to advance beyond the group stage - or win a single match.

When Hong was appointed to the same job again in 2024, it was met with harsh uproar. Many football fans criticised the appointment as football association's old guards giving the top job to their friend, as the KFA passed on a few foreign-born candidates who had undergone a rigorous vetting process.

On Sunday, Hong said that "accepting the job was not an easy choice".

"I cannot say every decision has been the right one, but I can tell you that I have made every decision with Korean football in mind," he added.

South Korea police say that they are watching for security threats at Incheon Airport and other locations after a death threat was made online against Hong on his return to Korea over the weekend, local media reported.

Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗

South Korea's men's national football team exited the World Cup after the group stage, finishing third in their group with a 1–2 record. Head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned Sunday, stating full responsibility rested with him. The team, ranked 32nd globally and led by Son Heung-min, lost their final match 1–0 to South Africa, eliminating them even under the expanded tournament format that allows eight best third-placed teams to progress. President Lee Jae-myung announced an investigation into the loss, suggesting organisational and personnel failures. Hong's appointment in 2024 had drawn criticism from supporters who viewed it as the football association favouring a known figure over vetted foreign candidates. On Sunday, Hong acknowledged the disappointment while affirming his commitment to Korean football. Police have monitored security threats at airports after an online death threat was made against Hong.

Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗

Hong Myung-bo has resigned as head coach of South Korea's men's national football team after they failed to advance to the World Cup knockout stage.

The team had hoped they could still qualify for the next round of the tournament as one of the best third-placed teams, but that hope was quashed on Saturday.

The early exit has prompted widespread criticism at home, with President Lee Jae-myung calling for an investigation into reasons behind the team's disappointing performance.

Hong apologised to fans on Sunday and said the responsibility "rests entirely with me as head coach".

Ranked 32nd in FIFA's men's rankings and led by star player Son Heung-min, South Korea recorded two losses and one win at the World Cup, finishing behind Mexico and South Africa, who are ranked 15th and 60th respectively.

Criticism mounted quickly after the team's last match with South Africa on Thursday, which South Korea lost 1-0.

The defeat left South Korea third in Group A, but still gave them hope to qualify for the next round under a new rule introduced with this tournament's expansion from 32 to 48 teams, which allows the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage to progress to the knockout round.

Announcing his resignation at a news conference in western Mexico, Hong said that "we didn't deliver the results that our fans expected".

"Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether," Hong said. "I will cheer for the national team from the bottom of my heart and hope that the team will be trusted and loved by the people once again."

The announcement came after President Lee said that he felt "not just confusion but utter bewilderment at the unexpected outcome".

In a post on X, Lee said that the early exit of the team "appears to be a failure of organisation and personnel".

"When favouritism and cronyism take precedence over competence in selecting a commander, the result is as predictable as fire burning paper," he said.

Hong's appointment to the head coach post was controversial from the start. The former defender was a hero of South Korea's 2002 World Cup success, having captained the team to a historic semi-final finish. But when he led the team as a coach in 2014, they failed to advance beyond the group stage - or win a single match.

When Hong was appointed to the same job again in 2024, it was met with harsh uproar. Many football fans criticised the appointment as football association's old guards giving the top job to their friend, as the KFA passed on a few foreign-born candidates who had undergone a rigorous vetting process.

On Sunday, Hong said that "accepting the job was not an easy choice".

"I cannot say every decision has been the right one, but I can tell you that I have made every decision with Korean football in mind," he added.

South Korea police say that they are watching for security threats at Incheon Airport and other locations after a death threat was made online against Hong on his return to Korea over the weekend, local media reported.

Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗

Hong Myung-bo resigned as South Korea men's football team head coach after the team failed to advance past the World Cup group stage South Korea recorded two losses and one win, finishing third in Group A behind Mexico and South Africa The team was ranked 32nd in FIFA rankings; South Africa was ranked 60th and Mexico 15th Hong said the responsibility for the poor performance rests entirely with him as head coach President Lee Jae-myung called for an investigation into the team's disappointing performance President Lee characterised the loss as a failure of organisation and personnel, suggesting favouritism and cronyism may have compromised the selection of a commander Hong was appointed to the role in 2024 after the football association selected him over foreign-born candidates who had undergone rigorous vetting When Hong previously coached the team in 2014, they failed to advance beyond the group stage without winning a match An online death threat was made against Hong, prompting police to monitor security at airports and other locations

Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗

• South Korea's men's football team failed to advance past the group stage at the World Cup despite being ranked 32nd globally, finishing third in their group with one win and two losses
• Head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday, taking full responsibility for the team's performance and apologising to fans
• President Lee Jae-myung called for an investigation into the loss, criticising the appointment process as potentially compromised by favouritism over competence
• Hong's 2024 appointment had been controversial, with critics arguing the football association selected him over vetted foreign candidates due to connections