South Korea Football Association Denies Rumors, Seeks New Coach
South Korea's football association denied rumors while moving forward with appointing a new head coach following the team's disappointing elimination from 2026 World Cup qualifying. The KFA apologized to fans and pledged to review its failu
The Korea Football Association (KFA) has released a clarification statement denying various rumors while proceeding with consultations on appointing a new head coach and electing a new association president.
South Korea's national team delivered disappointing results after being eliminated from 2026 World Cup qualifying in the group stage, finishing third in Group A and failing to secure one of the best third-place spots.
The elimination sparked backlash against the KFA and coach Hong Myung-bo, who led the team in the World Cup qualifiers, with particular criticism over the lack of transparency in his appointment.
The KFA has now issued a clarification statement denying the rumors while proceeding with discussions on appointing a new head coach and electing a new association president.
The statement read: "To all football fans who have continually cared for and loved South Korean football, we sincerely apologize for disappointing you with the 2026 World Cup results in North America, which fell short of expectations. The KFA will take this tournament failure as a lesson, carefully review and reflect on ourselves to prepare a better future for Korean football. We will humbly listen to all criticism and commit to building a better Korean football. Furthermore, we wish to clarify that the various rumors and speculative reports circulating based on unconfirmed information in recent times are entirely untrue. We again apologize to all football fans who genuinely care about Korean football for any concerns and disappointment caused. We promise that the KFA will continue to uphold the dignity and integrity of football. Regarding the new head coach appointment and association president election that have drawn much attention, we provide the following clarification.
New Head Coach Appointment: The National Team Empowerment Committee held a meeting today (July 3) and agreed to consider various approaches to appointing a new head coach. The committee will prioritize maintaining the stability of the national team to ensure continuous preparation for the AFC Asian Cup, with follow-up meetings to ensure the national team's competition schedule for the latter half of the year, including FIFA A-Match friendlies, proceeds without disruption.
Association President Election: According to the KFA regulations, if the president position becomes vacant, an election must be held within 60 days. The election system must comply with KFA regulations and not conflict with FIFA regulations as the parent organization, as well as regulations from the Korean Olympic Committee and Sports Organization. Therefore, the association is currently carefully considering this matter in multiple dimensions to comply with all relevant organizations' regulations."
