Jung Mong-gyu on Bento's Dismissal News: "Had Good Memories, Surprised... Wishing a Bright Future"

UAE Football Association Abruptly Dismisses Bento
Bento, Longest-Serving Head Coach in South Korea's History for a Single Term

Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, expressed surprise upon sharing the news of Paulo Bento's dismissal as head coach of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) national team. Bento had led South Korea to the Round of 16 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. On the 26th, President Chung posted on his social media, "I am surprised to hear that Coach Bento, who worked with our national football team for a long time and created great memories, has been dismissed from the UAE team," adding, "I wish him a bright future ahead."

Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu expressed surprise upon sharing the news of Paulo Bento's dismissal as head coach of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) national team. Bento had led South Korea to the Round of 16 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Photo by Heo Young-han

Earlier, the UAE Football Association announced on the same day that "we have decided to terminate the contract with Coach Bento and his coaching staff." The announcement of Bento's dismissal came after the UAE defeated North Korea 2-1. Notably, this timing coincided with Uzbekistan drawing 2-2 with Iran, narrowing the points gap to 4. The UAE Football Association judged that it was realistically unlikely to overturn this gap through the 9th and 10th matches of the third round of qualifiers during the June A-match period, and thus decided to reorganize the team early. It appears that Coach Bento did not anticipate the dismissal notice.

In a press conference immediately after the North Korea match, Coach Bento said, "Securing 3 points in this match is very meaningful for us," and added, "We need to observe the situation. After resting, I will do my best to prepare for the next call-up." The UAE plans to play the remaining two matches under a new head coach. Under Bento's leadership, the UAE reached the Round of 16 in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held in early last year but failed to advance to the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout defeat to the dark horse Tajikistan.

Meanwhile, Coach Bento left the Korean national team after failing to reach a contract renewal agreement with the Korea Football Association following his leadership in the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He began his professional coaching career in 2005 by leading Sporting (Portugal), and after working with Cruzeiro (Brazil), Olympiacos (Greece), and Chongqing (China), he was appointed head coach of the Korean national team around August 2018. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang

Meanwhile, after leading South Korea to the Round of 16 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup in December, Coach Bento left the Korean national team as he could not reach a contract renewal agreement with the Korea Football Association. He began his professional coaching career in 2005 with Sporting (Portugal), and later worked with Cruzeiro (Brazil), Olympiacos (Greece), and Chongqing (China) before being appointed head coach of the Korean national team around August 2018. He led the Korean national team for about 4 years and 4 months until the 2022 Qatar World Cup, becoming the longest-serving head coach in a single term in Korean football history.