"Turkey's Gunes Appointed as Head Coach of South Korea National Football Team" Report Denied by Football Association as "False News"

Turkiye Media "Gunes Accepts South Korea National Team Coach Position"
Korea Football Association "No Decision Made"

Turkiye's coach Senol Gunes (71) being appointed as the new head coach of the South Korean national football team was dismissed as 'false news' by the Korea Football Association (KFA).

Turkiye media Akdeniz Gercek reported on the 18th (Korean time) that "Coach Gunes is preparing to return to the field with the South Korean national team after October."

Director Guinechew [Photo by Yonhap News]

It added, "Coach Gunes is known to have accepted a three-year contract," and "Gunes, one of the candidates for the new season coach of Besiktas, has made a bold decision in his coaching career and decided to return to South Korea, where he previously worked."

Regarding this report, Jeong Hae-seong, chairman of the KFA National Team Strengthening Committee, drew a line by calling it 'false news.' He explained that "no decision has been made yet" concerning the appointment of the coach.

The KFA had previously prioritized Canadian national team coach John Herdman and was negotiating contract details, but the talks fell through. It is known that there was a significant difference in salary expectations.

Subsequently, while searching for other candidates for the next head coach, news emerged that the KFA was negotiating with Coach Gunes. Coach Gunes led FC Seoul from 2007 to 2009. After returning to Turkiye, he served as the head coach of the Turkiye national football team from 2019 to 2021.