On February 21st in Beijing, the Chinese soccer world took a turn for the worse with a heavy news that shocked fans. Leading South Korean media outlet JoongAng Ilbo has an exclusive report on former South Korean national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann, revealing a secret that could change the future of the national soccer team.
Recalling the situation of the national football team after the Asian Cup, Jankovic's departure seems to be inevitable. According to multiple sources, the FA has quietly started the coach replacement process, with well-known coaches such as Choi Kang-hee, Queiroz, Ivankovic and Petkovic emerging as favorites to become the new coach of the national football team. However, the latest clues show that Klinsmann, the coach who has just been dismissed from the South Korean team, has also quietly joined the FA's vision of selecting a coach.
Joongang Ilbo revealed, "Klinsmann's name has been hanging over the list of national team coaching candidates since the CFA sacked Jankovic in defeat at the Asian Cup last month." The outlet also emphasized that Klinsmann's salary is relatively low, which is in line with the CFA's financial budget. Meanwhile, Klinsmann was paid a whopping 2.9 billion won (about 15.45 million yuan) per year while with the South Korean national team.
From the report in the Central Daily News, it is clear that Klinsmann has quietly become a strong contender to be the new manager of the national soccer team. Compared to Queiroz and Ivankovic, Klinsmann has more advantages in coaching the national soccer team. After all, he knows the strength and tactical style of the national soccer team like the back of his hand as he played in the same group with them while coaching South Korea.
It is worth noting that South Korea defeated the national soccer team 3-0 in the preliminary round, which frustrated the new head of the Football Association, Song Kai. In an interview, Song Kai expressed his desire to have a German coach in charge and to see the national team get revenge on South Korea with a 4-0 win. It is against this backdrop that rumors of a national football coach after Klinsmann's dismissal have spread.
Now that the news has been reconfirmed by a report in the authoritative South Korean media outlet Joongang Ilbo, one can't help but wonder if Klinsmann will join hands with Wu Lei, Zhang Yuning, and other international soccer greats to make an anti-climactic comeback to South Korea? What are your thoughts on this possible story?
