South Korea national soccer team coach Jürgen Klinsmann will be welcomed by fans at a professional K League stadium.
The Korea Football Association announced on Friday that Klinsmann will travel to Jeonju World Cup Stadium tomorrow (Nov. 16) to watch Jeonbuk Hyundai and Gangwon FC play, and then to Seoul World Cup Stadium on Nov. 17 to watch FC Seoul and Gwangju FC play.”
This weekend will feature six matches in the 30th round of the K League One. Among them, Klinsmann will watch Jeonbuk and Gangwon and Seoul and Gwangju. Both matches are scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Klinsmann, who led the national team to play Wales in England on Aug. 8 and Saudi Arabia on Aug. 13, was initially scheduled to remain in Europe. He was scheduled to travel directly to Germany to watch Kim Min-jae’s team play Bayern Munich and Leverkusen.
However, Klinsmann changed his plans at the last minute and returned home with the national team on the 15th. At a press conference at Incheon Airport, Klinsmann first joked about the sudden change of plans, saying, “You guys asked me to come in, didn’t you?”
It was a response that showed that he was either unaware or pretending to be unaware of the domestic public opinion that had been exacerbated by his words and actions. Not only did Klinsmann break his promise to stay in Korea, but he also neglected the K League, which is unbecoming of a national team coach, and lost the trust of the fans.
“It’s not that, but the Korea Football Association told me that in Korea, when the national team returns from an away trip, a lot of reporters are waiting for them, so I’m going to come in and tell them my future plans,” Klinsmann added. In the end, Klinsmann revealed that it was not of his own volition.
“When I was working in Germany or the U.S., it was rare for me to be welcomed by so many people when I went abroad,” Klinsmann said with a big smile, “especially after a friendly like this, it was a new experience.”
“We’ll play a few games here and then we’ll go back to Europe and play a few games,” Klinsmann said, adding that the team already has a clear plan to prepare for the A-match in October.
When asked if the team’s future depends on the outcome of the Asian Cup, he said, “It’s important for everyone to be positive when preparing for a big tournament. The fans, the media and the players all need to be, otherwise there will be a lot of criticism. “If you don’t, there’s a lot of criticism, and people will fire the coach or do whatever they want,” he warned.
“The national team needs the support of the fans and media to create a positive atmosphere in preparation for a big tournament. If that doesn’t work, you end up like Germany at the last World Cup,” he said. “They were inundated with negative stories during the buildup to the World Cup, and they were ruined. Basically, everyone has to be on the same page. If it doesn’t work out, then blame the coach, whether you want to fire him or not.” 온라인바카라
Klinsmann’s airport interview could have been quite uncomfortable for fans to hear. The ongoing negative public opinion among fans could eventually affect the team’s performance at the Asian Cup.