Klinsmann’s two-game international match in September, which was noisy both inside and outside the game, has ended. To be precise, public opinion exploded as coach Jürgen Klinsmann’s external activities and his perception of domestic soccer were mixed with his performance without knowing what he was doing.
The perception of Director Klinsmann outside of Korea, especially in Europe, is beyond imagination. When I was checking into the Cardiff hotel where the Wales game was held and the staff told me that the Korean national team coach was Klinsmann, I was genuinely surprised.
Since the name itself is deeply imprinted, it is not unusual to ask Coach Klinsmann for his opinion on a certain issue in the soccer world. This is why it is not a wrong interpretation to say that he is half-American and not like a German with a ‘taciturn’ image.
The British public broadcaster BBC and the well-known sports channel Sky Sports in Korea asked Klinsmann questions that showed a very British perspective during the Wales game. The question was, who else is playing in Europe besides Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)? Even though Son Heung-min is there and beat Portugal 2-1 at the Qatar World Cup and advanced to the round of 16, there is no change in the fact that Korea is on the periphery of soccer.
Klinsmann, who knew what the question was about, worked hard to promote Korean soccer by saying that he also plays for Celtic (Oh Hyun-gyu, Yang Hyun-jun) and that Midtjylland (Cho Kyu-seong) also has players. Considering that one of the virtues of a manager in modern soccer is not simply tactics and strategy, but also public relations and marketing skills, Klinsmann’s actions were not bad.
The day after the Wales game, where he had to worry about whether or not to participate in the Chelsea-Bayern Munich legend match, he trained in Cardiff and then moved to London, giving him some free time by going out the same way as a night out. Not only were the players not simply soccer machines, but they also seemed to have taken into consideration the possibility of strengthening camaraderie among the players by recharging, and allowing the support staff to take some time off to prepare for the match against Saudi Arabia.
It was confirmed that the players gathered in groups of twos and threes to go out casually, and when their families came, they even had time to talk separately. Son Heung-min also demonstrated leadership by personally arranging a meal with the players and communicating with them.
Outside of the game, Klinsmann was making appropriate use of what Korean soccer has always done well, which is order within autonomy.
The problem is not communication with the players but with the entire Korean soccer community. In Korean soccer, there is so much pressure that there is a joke that the national team coach’s authority and responsibility is equivalent to that of the president. It is such a difficult job that former United Arab Emirates (UAE) coach Paulo Bento expressed some dissatisfaction with being frequently called to external events.
In Newcastle, Wales, Klinsmann was not unaware of the Korean soccer world’s perception of him. However, he felt like continuing to do this from an ‘international’ perspective. The trends of modern soccer are constantly changing, so it is not strange for Klinsmann to frequently travel to Europe to keep up with the trends or to criticize the performances of Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Harry Kane (Bayern Munich).
Proposals for the Chelsea-Munich legend match continued to come in until the day of the match. In fact, with the exception of Klinsmann, most of the Munich legends are difficult for British soccer fans to know. This was especially true given that Klinsmann also played for Tottenham. However, it is difficult to find a precedent for the national team coach to go out for personal reasons during the convocation period.
Not only the soccer world but also soccer fans were not convinced that returning home was perceived as a difficult issue to the extent that a decision was made through a meeting with the coaching staff on the morning of the same day regarding whether to stay in Europe or return to Korea after the Saudi match. Watching the UEFA Champions League (UCL) was considered more important to Klinsmann. As long as he continues his panel contract with ESPN, it is not surprising that his comments related to world soccer will continue.
Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, met with reporters in Newcastle and was extremely reticent. Since he was recruited by a direct offer, it felt like Chairman Chung was influenced by the perception that he wanted Coach Klinsmann to take the time to watch soccer, and he also expressed a similar opinion to reporters.
In the end, the fact that Chairman Chung must directly control Klinsmann paradoxically shows how helpless and meaningless the support and technical organizations related to the Korean Football Association’s national team are. If you don’t know the external public opinion, the vice president’s group needs to hold on to your pants and let you know. It should be said to be a one-on-one tutoring session on Korean history, culture, and awareness of the soccer world.
After the Saudi game, Klinsmann said,메이저놀이터 “I fully understand what many people who love Korean culture, Koreans, and soccer are thinking and what they are worried about,” but added, “What I want to clearly convey is that as the national team coach, I will continue to have an international perspective and that trend.” “I think we need to study how the flow is changing without losing sight of it. My idea that we should play a role in clearly necessary areas while spending time in Korea remains the same,” he said, once again reiterating that he will not stop his two-step move.
If Chairman Chung has a relationship with and controls Klinsmann in the larger circle, he must have the ‘top administrative officials’ always mentioned in the article inject the details. It’s a way to let go of the perception that ‘it’ll just pass like this’ and to promote the new year, but it should also make people harvest cabbage from the cabbage field and at least pretend to make kimchi.
After the two-game series between Tunisia and Vietnam in October, matches await where public opinion will fluctuate even more depending on the results of each match. Is it a luxury to hope for ‘international’ Klinsmann’s ‘positive Koreanization’?