Commentator Kim Hyung-beom: "Domestic coaches can do at least this much"… Controversy over Coach Bento's Evaluation

Praise for Bento includes criticism that "Korean fans have a strong pot mentality"
"No intention to disparage," he clarified... but football fans strongly oppose

On the afternoon of the 13th, Coach Paulo Bento is departing for Portugal through Incheon International Airport. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] Former national team player and football commentator Kim Hyung-beom sparked controversy by evaluating Paulo Bento, the head coach of the South Korean national team at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, saying, "Even a domestic coach would have achieved this level."

On the 14th, football commentator Kim Hyung-beom appeared on the football analysis YouTube channel 'Channel Success' and spoke about Coach Bento. Kim said, "This is a risky statement, but the positive reactions are because Coach Bento achieved these results," adding, "If the results had been poor, the criticism would have been severe. Many fans had been anticipating this even before the World Cup."

He criticized, "Those fans who were like that are now calling him 'Benbeoji' (a nickname for Bento)," and said, "They have a bit of a fickle nature." He also said, "Many describe the composition of our Qatar World Cup players as the best ever," and added, "Considering the level of Bento and domestic coaches, I think (any coach) would have played football at this level."

Additionally, he said, "It is true that Coach Bento achieved accomplishments, but the claim that he completely changed the 'build-up' and transformed Korean football is, in my opinion, an overstatement," and added, "Is Coach Bento’s four-year creation of build-up football an incredible achievement? I honestly don’t see it that way."

Furthermore, he stated, "Of course, because he worked on the basic build-up for a long time, our players were able to perform to some extent, which I acknowledge. But that doesn’t mean the team members were incapable of doing it otherwise."

Although he said, "I acknowledge his contributions. I have no intention of belittling him," some football fans responded critically. Kim Hyung-beom is a former football player who played for Ulsan Hyundai, Jeonbuk Hyundai, Daejeon Citizen, and Gyeongnam FC, retiring in 2015. Currently, Kim’s remarks have been re-edited and are no longer available on the YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Coach Bento, who was appointed as the head coach of the South Korean national football team in September 2018, set the record as the longest-serving coach in a single term and led Korea to the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup for the first time in 12 years. Fans wanted Coach Bento to continue leading the team, but contract renewal negotiations failed to reach an agreement, and he left Korea on the 14th.