Coach Klinsmann Dismissed... Chairman Chung Mong-gyu: "Failed to Demonstrate Competence and Leadership" (Summary)

The Korea Football Association dismissed national team coach J?rgen Klinsmann on the 16th.

On the same day, starting at 10 a.m., the Korea Football Association held an executive meeting regarding the national team at the Football Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, attended by Chairman Chung Mong-gyu and other key executives. After the meeting, Chairman Chung personally announced, "The Korea Football Association has ultimately decided to replace the national team coach."

Chairman Chung explained the reason for the dismissal, saying, "Coach Klinsmann did not demonstrate the leadership and coaching abilities we expect from the national team coach in terms of match management, player management, and work attitude that bring out the competitiveness of the team."

Jung Mong-kyu, President of the Korea Football Association, is announcing the contents of the executive meeting that decided to dismiss head coach J?rgen Klinsmann on the afternoon of the 16th at the Football Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

Thus, Coach Klinsmann stepped down about a year after being appointed as the national team coach in February last year.

Since taking charge of the national team, Coach Klinsmann was constantly embroiled in controversy. The team’s continued poor performance in matches led to debates over the lack of tactics, and the coach’s frequent overseas stays also sparked criticism. At the recently concluded Asian Cup, where the team challenged for the first title in 64 years, they suffered a poor performance in the semifinals, failing to record a single shot on target and losing 0-2 to Jordan. After the Asian Cup semifinal exit, Klinsmann said he would return to Korea to analyze the tournament, but instead flew to the United States, where his home is located, worsening public opinion. Amid growing calls for his dismissal, it was also revealed that there was internal conflict among players such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in during the Asian Cup, raising concerns about his team management skills.

Regarding this, Chairman Chung said, "I deeply apologize for disappointing football fans, football officials, and many citizens with the national team’s performance that fell short of expectations at this Qatar Asian Cup," adding, "As the head of the organization managing the national football team, I humbly accept the criticism and reproach directed at me and the Korea Football Association and offer my apologies."

With Coach Klinsmann stepping down, the Korea Football Association is expected to quickly begin the process of selecting the next coach. The team must immediately prepare for the 3rd and 4th matches of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup second qualifying round against Thailand on the 21st and 26th of next month.

Chairman Chung stated, "Coach Klinsmann’s competitiveness and attitude as a coach did not meet the expectations and sentiments of the public, and we judged that improvement would be difficult going forward. Therefore, we decided to replace the head coach ahead of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup second qualifying round," adding, "The Korea Football Association will immediately begin the process of appointing the next coach to lead the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup second qualifying round team, and prior to that, we will form a new Strengthening Committee and appoint a chairman to proceed with this task."