"National Teams by Age Should Compete Every 4 Years"
Hwang Sun-hong, the head coach of the South Korea under-23 (U-23) football team, bowed his head in remorse after failing to qualify for the Olympic men's football tournament for the 10th consecutive time. At the same time, he made resolute remarks aimed at the future development of Korean football.
On the 27th, after arriving at Incheon International Airport with the team, Coach Hwang met with reporters and said, "I apologize and feel sorry to everyone who supported us until late at night," adding, "I believe the responsibility for the result lies entirely with the coach. I deeply feel responsible."
Hwang Sunhong, head coach of the South Korean under-23 (U-23) men's soccer team, who failed to achieve the goal of qualifying for the Olympic finals for the 10th consecutive time, is bowing his head while preparing for an interview after returning to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the 27th. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The South Korea U-23 team drew 2-2 after a grueling 120-minute match against Indonesia, coached by Shin Tae-yong, in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup on the 26th, but lost 10-11 in the penalty shootout, failing to advance to the semifinals.
This tournament also serves as the qualifier for the Paris Olympics, with the top three teams earning direct qualification, and the fourth-placed team facing Guinea from Africa in an intercontinental playoff to decide the final spot. However, South Korea's elimination in the quarterfinals means they will not participate in the Olympic finals for the first time in 40 years since the 1984 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics. Their consecutive appearance record ends at nine.
On the day, Coach Hwang emphasized the need for changes in the age-group team management system. He said, "It might sound like an excuse, but the current structure and system for managing age-group teams must be absolutely changed. With the current system, the gap with the world will only widen. We need to listen to voices from the field and work together to devise countermeasures," criticizing the system.
He continued, "There must be a long-term plan. If a coach's tenure depends on Asian Games results, then focus will inevitably be only on the Asian Games," adding, "I myself had to concentrate on the Hangzhou Asian Games from last September. There is very little time to prepare for the Olympics. With this structure, we cannot completely dominate even within Asia, and the gap will gradually widen."
He also provided detailed explanations regarding the absence of Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), and Kim Ji-su (Brentford), who refused to be called up and thus did not join the team just before the tournament. Coach Hwang expressed regret, saying, "I personally visited the clubs and secured their commitment to release the players. But when April came, each team was fiercely competing in the standings and refused to release them."
Regarding reports by some media that Coach Hwang had a meeting with officials from the Korea Football Association during the Asian Cup, he dismissed them as "nonsense."
Coach Hwang said, "I am not that cowardly," adding, "I just do my best in the role I am assigned to; I do not think about the future, work behind the scenes, or anything like that." When asked about his future, he sighed deeply and said, "I am very tired. For now, I want to rest." After failing to secure qualification for the Paris Olympics, Coach Hwang's contract with the Korea Football Association ended at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu, criticized on the 27th following the U-23 team's failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics, saying, "The person in charge of the Strengthening Committee should not go abroad under the pretext of interviewing foreign coaches but take responsibility as promised and leave together with Chairman Chung Mong-gyu."
Through his Facebook account, he said, "After causing the disaster of failing to qualify for the Olympic finals for the first time in 40 years, are you just going to ignore it and cling to your position?" He added, "If you keep stalling any longer, you might be dragged out disgracefully. Behave like a sportsman. Even without you, there are many people who can lead Korean football forward."
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