The Korean Football Association (KFA) has named Kim Do-Hoon as the interim coach for South Korea’s World Cup qualifiers against Singapore and China in June. This decision comes as the KFA continues its search for a permanent replacement for Juergen Klinsmann, who was dismissed in February following the team’s disappointing exit in the Asian Cup semi-finals. Despite having star players like Son Heung-Min and Lee Kang-In, the team failed to register a single shot on target in their 2-0 loss to Jordan.
Previously, under-23 coach Hwang Sun-Hong managed the senior team to a 1-1 draw and a 3-0 victory over Thailand in the last round of qualifiers in March. The KFA had hoped to secure a permanent head coach before the June fixtures, but negotiations are still ongoing.
In a statement on Monday, the KFA explained, “Negotiations to hire the new national team head coach are still ongoing, and it’s possible that they won’t be finalized before the next matches in June. Our National Teams Committee met earlier today to discuss this scenario and decided to hire Kim Do-Hoon as the interim coach to take charge of the two games in June.”
Kim Do-Hoon, a former international striker, has an impressive coaching resume. He led Ulsan Hyundai to the Asian Champions League title in 2020 and guided Lions City Sailors to the Singapore Premier League title in 2021. The 53-year-old left the Singapore club in August 2022 following a three-match ban for an altercation with an opposing team’s assistant coach.
[#NOTICE] 축구국가대표팀 임시 감독에 #김도훈 감독 선임
KFA는 6월에 열릴 월드컵 2차 예선 두 경기에서 #대한민국 #축구국가대표팀 을 이끌 임시 감독으로 김도훈 감독을 선임했습니다. 대표팀은 6월 6일 싱가포르 원정경기에 이어, 11일 중국과 홈경기를 앞두고 있습니다. pic.twitter.com/qh88ZtweVs
Advertisement— theKFA (@theKFA) May 20, 2024
