Korea Football Association Michael Muller, chairman of the National Team Strengthening Committee, announced plans for the appointment of the next national team coach.
On the afternoon of the 11th, Chairman Müller held a press conference at the Seoul Sinmunro Soccer Center and discussed the plan and process for appointing the national team coach.
On the 4th, Chairman Müller succeeded former Chairman Lee Yong-soo. He drew attention as he was the first foreigner to be appointed as the chairman of the power reinforcement committee. Born in Germany, he worked as a leader in the German national team, and in 2018, he was appointed as the chairman of the technical development committee of the association and established a relationship with Korean soccer. It is known that he was recommended by Park Ji-seong, technical director of Jeonbuk Hyundai, who was working as the head of the youth strategy headquarters at the time. He has been involved in Korean football for over 4 years, and has risen to an important position and played an important role.
Above all, it is important to select a successor for former coach Paulo Bento, who had a successful World Cup in Qatar. As former chairman Lee Yong-soo, the association was on the cutting board as rumors circulated that the appointment of a domestic command tower was likely due to various reasons such as budget, soccer philosophy, and style. Although the atmosphere was changed by appointing a foreign person as the chairperson, the future is more important. Depending on the capabilities of the new coach, competitiveness over the next few years may change. Chairman Mueller’s responsibility is heavy.
Chairman Müller said that all work starts from zero base 스포츠토토. He said, “I received a list of candidates, but in the current situation, I will leave all possibilities open and review them with a blank slate. We plan to utilize our personal network as well.” This means that he will review candidates for the command tower as he envisions, regardless of the list received from the association’s full-time staff.
Originally, the association was scheduled to appoint a new coach within February, but Chairman Müller emphasized that finding the right person is more important than timing. “It’s not easy to anticipate a specific date in the football business. It is important that the direction is right,” he said. Saying “quickly, quickly” in Korean, he added, “I am confident in appointing a manager according to the procedure, even if the manager is not quickly appointed.”
The new coach evaluation criteria mentioned by Chairman Mueller are divided into five categories. He cited “professionalism, experience, clear motivation, teamwork ability, and environmental factors” as criteria. Regarding environmental requirements that are difficult to understand unlike the previous four factors, he said, “We also need to see how well the association and the coach meet each other’s conditions. For example, I plan to consider whether I can live in Korea. Since we have to look at it from an individual point of view, we will review the resume a little more before proceeding.” In fact, coach Han, who was nominated for the national team in the past, was unable to reach an agreement because he avoided living in Korea. This is the background of Chairman Müller’s mention of the variable ‘environment’.
Since Mr. Müller is German and has worked as a full-time leader in his country, he knows many good German leaders. However, he did not say that he would necessarily appoint foreigners. “I think he has to think internationally, but he’s thinking in all directions,” he said softly.
The key is to match the heights of the players. The Bento Division was a capable group that met the needs and aspirations of its players. Chairman Mueller said, “I think my position is a role of communication and coordinator. I will communicate with everyone, not just the players, but also the staff. There will be sufficient communication,” he promised to listen to the players’ stories in any way.