From Foreigner to Hong Myung-bo… Lee Im-saeng’s Blood-drying Week
Departing for Europe on the 2nd and interviewing 2 foreign coaches… “Not suitable for Korean soccer”
Persuaded in front of Hong Myung-bo’s house at 11pm on the 5th… “Soccer philosophy, considering the continuity of the national team, he is the right person”
The week of Lee Im-saeng, the technical director of the Korea Football Association, was more intense and exhausting than anyone else.
On the 8th, the Korea Football Association held a press conference at the Korea Football Association Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, explaining the process of selecting the head coach of the Korean national football team.
When the chairman of the National Team Strengthening Committee, Jeong Hae-seong, suddenly announced his intention to resign on the 28th of last month, Director of Technology Lee Im-saeng was delegated all authority of the National Team Strengthening Committee and continued the follow-up process for selecting a coach. 안전놀이터 메이저사이트
Director Lee Im-saeng went on a business trip to Europe on the 2nd to conduct a face-to-face interview with the two foreign coaches who were final candidates, David Wagner and Gus Poyet.
Director Lee Im-saeng met and talked with the first foreign coach candidate at a hotel in Madrid, Spain for about three hours starting at 9:00 AM on the 3rd, local time.
Director Im Saeng, who went straight to Frankfurt, Germany, met with the second coach candidate for about three hours on the morning of the 4th.
He returned to Korea immediately after the interview.
Director Im Saeng, who was on his way back to Korea, believed that the football philosophies of the two foreign coach candidates did not fit with Korean football, which seeks to create opportunities through build-up.
In effect, it was like 'there was no income'.
Finally, 142 days after Jurgen Klinsmann was fired on February 15, Director Lee Im-saeng and the Korea Football Association took turns playing the Hong Myung-bo card.
After setting the direction with Hong Myung-bo as manager, the last two days were filled with tension.
On the 5th, at around 11 PM, Director Lee Im-saeng visited Manager Hong Myung-bo’s home after finishing the K-League match against Suwon FC.
He earnestly persuaded him that Manager Hong Myung-bo was the right person for the job, considering his game model that fits the philosophy of Korean football, his opportunity creation through build-up, and his connection and continuity from the national team to the national team by age group.
Nine hours later, at 9 AM on the 6th, Manager Hong Myung-bo called to say that he would accept the offer to take charge, and the process of selecting the manager was completed.
From the interviews with the two foreign candidates that began on the 2nd to the persuasion of Manager Hong Myung-bo, Director Lee Im-saeng conducted the entire process alone.
This is because they were worried that the selection process would leak to the outside through the media.
Throughout the selection process, there was suspicion that a young member shared information with a specific media outlet in real time.
In the end, instead of calling a full-time meeting of the executive committee, Director Lee Im-saeng contacted them individually to get their consent to “delegate the final decision,” and ended a hectic and exhausting week by putting Coach Hong Myung-bo in charge.
Director Lee Im-saeng had been struggling emotionally over the selection of the commander, so he choked up during the press conference, his voice trembling, and his eyes turning red.
