FIFA Updates

SEOUL, July 7 (Reuters) – South Korea will choose a local
coach to take over from Huh Jung-moo, who resigned after taking
the team to the last 16 of the World Cup.

“All members … agreed to name a Korean coach,” Lee
Hoi-taek, chief of the Korea Football Association (KFA)
technical panel, told reporters on Wednesday.

“We are looking into some 12 or 13 football leaders on the
list.”

Chung Hae-soung, Huh’s chief assistant, and Olympic coach
Hong Myung-bo have both ruled themselves out of the running.

Kim Hak-beom, former coach of seven-times K-League
champions Seongnam Ilhwa, and Choi Kang-hee, manager of 2009
K-League champs Jeonbuk Motors, now head the shortlist,
according to South Korea’s Yonhap news.

“Considering Huh’s accomplishment (in South Africa), the
next coach must be as competitive and experienced as Huh,” Lee
said.

“The next leader will be in charge of the national team
until the 2014 Brazil World Cup.”

South Korea reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup
as co-hosts under Dutchman Guus Hiddink but failed to
capitalise on his success under four subsequent foreign
coaches.

The 55-year-old Huh steadily won over his critics after
initially being accused of playing “nihilistic football” in
South Korea’s hypercritical media.

After sealing South Korea’s seventh successive World Cup
appearance in an unbeaten qualifying campaign, Huh admitted his
side were some way off reproducing their astonishing 2002 run.
(Reporting by Alastair Himmer in Tokyo. Editing by Peter
Rutherford. To query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)