Next National Team Coach 'Domestic' 'Under 1 Billion KRW'... Association Says "Not True at All"

[KFA Instagram]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The Korea Football Association (KFA) has denied reports regarding the appointment of the next national team coach, stating that they are "completely untrue."

On the 10th, the KFA expressed serious concerns via Instagram about "reckless speculative reports from some media outlets regarding the recent appointment of the new national team coach."

After Paulo Bento, who led the national team for four years since 2018, ended his contract following the Qatar World Cup, some media outlets reported that "a Korean is likely to be the next national team coach" and that "the annual salary will be under 1 billion KRW."

In response, the KFA emphasized, "To conclude, this is completely false. It is suspicious who the anonymous source mentioned in the reports is, and even if a KFA official made such a statement, it would only be a personal opinion and not the official position of the Korea Football Association."

According to the KFA, the appointment of the national team coach is conducted through the association's 'National Team Strengthening Committee.' The KFA added, "However, the first meeting has not yet been held, and we are only at the stage of preparing for discussions." They continued, "We will start by establishing the future direction of our national team while keeping all possibilities open." Furthermore, they stated, "Therefore, it is not the time to discuss whether the coach will be Korean or foreign, and detailed conditions such as salary are even less appropriate to mention."

Finally, the KFA said, "As you saw during the appointment process of Coach Bento four years ago, there were numerous speculative reports using anonymity such as 'insiders familiar with internal affairs' or 'sources knowledgeable about football circles.' However, most of those articles differed from the actual conclusion." They earnestly requested football fans, "Please refer to these past cases and refrain from making premature judgments regarding the appointment of the national team coach until the Korea Football Association provides an official briefing."