Former South Korean striker Lee Dong-guk has slammed the Korean Football Association for threatening legal action against Park Joo-ho, who publicly questioned the national team’s head coach selection process.
“I was loved by the national team and played for a long time in the K League, so I feel a lot of responsibility,” Lee said in a post on his YouTube channel on the afternoon of Dec. 13. “As a junior and a senior, I should have taken better care of things, but I apologize to the fans for not doing so.”
“One word hits me in the head. “Legal action,” he said, adding, “This is not a word for someone who has tried harder than anyone else. Now that we have lost trust, we shouldn’t blame anyone but ourselves,” he added.
Former national fullback Park Joo-ho, who is a member of the Korea Football Association’s National Strength and Conditioning Committee, recently posted an “expose” video on his YouTube channel.
He claimed that the appointment of Hong Myung-bo, the former head coach of K League 1’s Ulsan HD, to the national team was not done according to procedure, and that some members of the strengthening committee pushed for the appointment of a domestic footballer over a foreign coach.
In response, the KFA decided to consider legal action, claiming that Park had violated his confidentiality pledge.
Park reportedly mobilized his personal network to recommend coaches who were mentioned as finalists, including Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsh and former Norwich City (England) manager David Wagner.
Lee said, “This is a big issue for the national team. “The process should have been good, but I think it didn’t go as well as Korean soccer fans’ worries and expectations,” said Lee.
“I think it’s time for a change,” he said, adding, “I will do my best to help the K League and the national team in various ways. Please support Korean soccer and give me your criticism,” he wrote.
Lee had been vice president of the KFA since January last year, but resigned in April amid growing controversy over the federation’s “surprise” amnesty for footballers under discipline for reasons including involvement in match-fixing.
Other “senior” footballers with experience in European soccer, such as commentator Lee Young-pyo and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors technical director Park Ji-sung, have also criticized the KFA over Park.
Hong explained his reasons for accepting the national team’s head coaching job at a press conference after the team’s home match against Gwangju FC at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on Oct. 10, saying that Park Joo-ho’s opinion should be embraced.
“Park Joo-ho’s (Power Enhancement Committee) words may sound uncomfortable, but it’s important to embrace them and develop for the betterment of Korean soccer,” Hong said. 사설 토토사이트