input2024.04.24 07:42
correction2024.04.24 07:42
Klinsmann opens up after 2 months of dismissal
“My experience in Korea was fantastic”
“I wanted to keep going together.”
Jürgen Klinsmann (59, Germany), former coach of the Korean national soccer team, spoke out about two months after his dismissal.
Klinsmann appeared on the Austrian Serbus TV sports talk show aired on the 22nd (local time) and mentioned the players’ dispute at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which was called ‘Table Tennis Gate’.
Klinsmann said, “A young player (Lee Kang-in) who plays in Paris said something rude to an older player (Son Heung-min) who is the captain of Tottenham Hotspur. He took that to heart and the two got into a fight. The young player dislocated Son Heung-min’s finger. “I ordered it,” he said.
He then confessed, “A few people intervened to stop us, and then we broke up. We talked the next day, but we were all shocked and lost our senses, and at that moment, we felt that we were no longer together.”
Klinsmann claimed that although the Korean national team lost in the semifinals, it was Korea’s best result at the Asian Cup in 15 years.
“But in Korean culture, someone had to take responsibility,” he said, laughing. “The players had to go to the next competition, so it was the coach’s turn.”
He said he studied Korean for two years, but said, “I couldn’t tell what was going on between the players,” but added, “I learned that in Korean culture, the older side is always right, even if it’s wrong.”
Klinsmann recalled his year in Korea as “fantastic in terms of experience and learning.” He also revealed his true intentions, saying, “Korea has the ability to go beyond the quarterfinals of the World Cup, so we wanted to keep going.”
Klinsmann moved to the United States and is appearing as a panelist for ESPN. When Klinsmann refused to voluntarily resign and was dismissed in February, it was reported that the Korea Football Association had to pay a penalty of about 7 billion won for the remaining contract period of coach Klinsmann.
Kim Ye-rang, Hankyung.com reporter [email protected]
