National soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who failed to achieve his dream of winning the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, is returning home through Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the afternoon of the 8th.
Jürgen Klinsmann, the coach of the Korean national soccer team, who left the arrival hall smiling despite being eliminated from the Asian Cup semifinals, dismissed the possibility of voluntarily resigning.
The Korean national soccer team, including coach Klinsmann, concluded the schedule for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup and returned to Korea through Incheon Airport on the 8th.
In the semifinals against Jordan, Korea lost 0-2 after an abysmal performance in which they failed to record a single effective shot, thwarting their first title challenge in 64 years.
Among the 26 players, 13 returned home that day, including Hyun-woo Cho (Ulsan), Tae-hwan Kim (Jeonbuk), In-beom Hwang (Crvena Zvezda), and Young-woo Seol (Ulsan).
The remaining 13 players, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), returned to their respective teams immediately from Qatar. Most of the players who received a lot of criticism for their crushing loss against Jordan had their heads down and had dark expressions.
However, Coach Klinsmann smiled brightly and greeted the fans and officials at Incheon Airport.
National soccer team coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who failed to achieve his dream of winning the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, is answering questions from reporters after returning to Korea through Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the afternoon of the 8th.
Coach Klinsmann said, “Me and the players all wanted to win as much as you all. “Although we did not achieve the result of winning, we were rewarded with good results before the semifinals,” he said. “We had a good result of being undefeated in 13 games before losing to Jordan, and there were many good parts (in terms of content). “It is important to think about those positive aspects and prepare for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup qualifiers that are just around the corner,” he said, indicating that he will continue to lead the team.
He continued, “I don’t think advancing to the semifinals was a failure. He added, “At the tournament held in the Middle East, East Asian teams, including us and Japan, all struggled.”
While there were quite a few voices of criticism both inside and outside, when he was asked why he thought public opinion was so unfavorable, he smiled and said, “I don’t know the reason either. “What I want to say, however, is that we have continued to grow throughout the year and are moving in the right direction toward the North and Central America World Cup,” he emphasized.
He said, “There are always joys and sorrows in soccer. “I think the people would have been very happy with the match against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 and against Australia in the quarterfinals.”
Some agree that Coach Klinsmann’s somewhat insincere attitude, such as working from home while preparing for the tournament while focusing on the United States and Europe, led to this disaster.
Regarding this, Director Klinsmann said, “I know that many people in Korea have different opinions than me. “I respect the criticism, but my way of working will not change,” he said.
Meanwhile, Coach Klinsmann plans to leave for Europe next week and inspect European players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain). 19가이드03