“I thought I should serve the national team one last time.” There is a reason why Hong Myung-bo accepted the position of coach of the national team.
Many Koreans would remember the moment when they were determined to advance to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan when they were reminded of Hong Myung-bo as a soccer player. The scene where captain Hong Myung-bo, who was always expressionless under any circumstances, smiled brightly after making the final penalty shootout against Spain caused a stir. The unprecedented history of Korean soccer has been newly established, deeply moving the public.
At that time, the Republic of Korea knew how to become one. After the war, Seoul quickly achieved economic growth and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) overcame it through a gold-collecting campaign. Everyone took ‘sacrifice’ or ‘concession’ for granted. The same was true of soccer. Even when the league was terminated early for the World Cup at home, Korea, which was the ‘weakest’, conducted group training sessions for the team, and used the myth of the semifinals with determination and fighting spirit.
Such “sacrifice,” “service,” and “concession” will be considered the best virtues for Hong. Rather than placing importance on individuals in his career, he has enjoyed the golden age of his career by uniting with others and becoming one. He is emphasizing his “sacrifice” and “spirit of service” as the reason for the appointment of the national team coach.
The National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held a plenary session of the National Assembly on the 24th to ask pending questions about the Korea Football Association (KFA) and the Badminton Association. At the meeting, which lasted more than half a day, KFA officials, including KFA Chairman Chung Mong-kyu and South Korean national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo, were pointed out through questions about the problems the association has revealed in recent years.
On the allegation of the coach’s appointment process, Chairman Chung Mong-gyu including Hong Myung-bo argued that there was no problem. During the process, Hong said, “I feel heavy. When rumors spread that the coach was appointed, I was so happy to play soccer with the support and love of fans in Ulsan.”
“However, out of the 40 years of my soccer career, I had the hardest time after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. I know how hard it is to be the coach of the World Cup team. That’s why I wanted to run away and not go further. However, it was hard to ignore the difficulties facing Korean soccer from Chairman Lee Im-saeng. I thought I should serve the national team one last time. I thought I would never have the responsibility and mission that I had 10 years ago, but I felt the sense of duty again after the interview, so I decided to do so,” he added.
Even after he was officially appointed in July, Hong Myung-bo emphasized the arguments that “something in me came out,” “I had no choice but to abandon myself,” and “I want to try to develop Korean soccer, not personal greed.” The reason why he had to turn his back on Ulsan HD overnight was because he eventually judged that he needed to “sacrifice” for Korean soccer. 스포츠토토
Unfortunately, the time has come to snort at the word “sacrifice.” The regime has been replaced five times, and the 2020s have entered. As the word “MZ generation” and “MBTI” that respect an individual’s personality have become popular, the individual for “me” has become more important. Due to the “COVID-19” incident, unnecessary meetings have decreased, and the number of young people quitting jobs has increased. As human rights have become more important and personal freedom has become more important, it has become a reality that people want to be guaranteed individual rights rather than unconditional sacrifices.
This is why Hong Myung-bo’s sacrifice is not convincing to soccer fans. Rather, some say they will admit the sacrifice if they give up the salary that the national team coach receives, or even say that improving the root of Korean soccer is more important than the World Cup performance. As the popularity of soccer has increased, the standard of contact with soccer has increased, and the number of fans visiting the soccer field has increased due to star players such as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae.
Coach Hong Myung-bo should recognize that times have changed. It is absolutely not that Hong Myung-bo, who accepted the offer, is at fault. Of course, the government should send its support to an attitude that shows the spirit of service that not everyone can do. However, the public would rather have a fair and transparent process in the Korean soccer community than a result that could be hurriedly accumulated like a sandcastle at any time. It is natural that the Korea Football Association is also responsible for the decision.
