Jurgen Klinsmann has been officially sacked from his role as manager of South Korea following his side’s failure at the Asian Cup 2024.
Klinsmann previously had spells in charge of Germany, Bayern Munich, and the USMNT. Still, all failed to have any significant title.
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The announcement was released after a meeting between the South Korean Football Federation board and the German tactician.
Klinsmann sacked
The legendary Germany captain’s sacking was confirmed at a press conference held on Friday with Korea Football Association president Chung Mong-gyu.
“The KFA has decided to change the national head coach following a comprehensive review,” he said.
“Klinsmann has failed to display managerial capability and leadership expected of a national head coach in areas ranging from tactics, personnel management to work attitude and others required to bring about competitiveness to the team.
“Klinsmann’s attitude and competitiveness as head coach has fallen short of people’s expectations and it was agreed that this would not be improved going forward, so we have decided to change leadership ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifying games.”
What leads Klinsmann’s sack
While it has been a long road to the inevitable conclusion of Klinsmann, the ultimate reason was the defeat by Jordan (2-0) as South Korea failed to reach the AFC 2024 final in Qatar despite having been the heavy contender for the title.
The performances in the latest tournament were deemed disastrous for the national fans and the Football Federation in general, at which Son Heung-Min and Co. were held by Malaysia 3-3 in the Group Stage.
They scored late goals in the last-16 and quarter-finals before suffering a surprise loss to Jordan. South Korea were eventually beaten 2-0 by underrated side Jordan, who are ranked 87th in the world, during the 2024 tournament’s last four.
Klinsmann was appointed manager in February 2023, succeeding Paulo Bento, who departed following the 2022 World Cup.
“Thank you so much for all your support taking us to the semi-final of the Asian Cup and an incredible journey over the last 12 months with not losing 13 games in a row,” Klinsmann wrote in a post to Korean fans on his social media accounts shortly before the KFA officially announced its decision.
Son Heung-Min and Lee Kang-in’s brawl that played a part
Aside from the disappointing showcases on the field, Klinsmann could not control his players, as a serious brawl occurred before the semi-final.
It was reported and later confirmed by many sources that captain Son Heung-min suffered a dislocated finger following an altercation between many players.
