The goal of Korea on Klinsmann at dawn is to win the Asian Cup

The goal of Korea on Klinsmann at dawn is to win the Asian Cup next year

Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), the new head coach of the national soccer team, promised to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, the long-cherished desire of the Korean soccer community, in his first meeting.

Klinsmann arrived at Incheon International Airport at 4:52 a.m. on the 8th. Clinsman, who entered the arrival hall at 5:22 p.m., smiled brightly and received bouquets of flowers and red muffler from executives and employees, including Choi Young-il, vice chairman of the Korea Football Association. Five to six “minority elite” fans, who had been waiting for them since the night before, welcomed them enthusiastically. Klinsmann was appointed as the head coach of the national team last month and will accompany the national team for three years and five months until the 2026 North Korea-China-US World Cup.

Coach Klinsmann said, “Thank you for welcoming me from early on,” adding, “I’m very proud and honored to have the opportunity to be the head coach of the national team in Korea.” “We will prepare to continue our success here,” he said. He also added, “South Korea has achieved outstanding results at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and we will work to continue our good performance.”

Coach Klinsmann will prepare for the second round of the North Korea-China World Cup Asian qualifying round in November and the Asian Cup, which will open in Qatar in January next year. Klinsmann focused on the Asian Cup. Korea won the first Asian Cup in 1956 and the second Asian Cup in Korea in 1960, but has never reached the top since then.

Coach Klinsmann said, “I looked at all of Korea’s matches while working as a FIFA Technology Research Group (TSG) at the Qatar World Cup,” adding, “Korea has made a good team with Guus Hiddink, Uli Stielike and Paulo Bento over the past 20 years.” “South Korea has beaten strong teams such as Portugal and Germany in the World Cup, so of course its goal is to win the Asian Cup,” he stressed.

Asked why he accepted the national team’s proposal, Klinsmann said, “I visited Korea several times. I came to the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. He also explained, “In 2017, my son participated in the U-20 World Cup and visited,” adding, “I was happy to receive a proposal for the national team because I had good experience and memories of Korea.” And “Korea is a pretty good team. “I’m looking forward to learning, and I’m looking forward to learning from the team,” he added.

Coach Klinsmann will hold an inaugural press conference at the Paju National Training Center (NFC) on the 9th and watch the K League 1 match between FC Seoul and Ulsan Hyundai at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 12th. The national team’s call-up list will be announced by early next week. His debut stage will be Colombia (Ulsan) on the 24th and Uruguay (Seoul) on the 28th.

Prior to this, the formation of the coaching staff will also be completed. According to the Korea Football Association, Klinsmann plans to set up a coaching staff with at least one Korean coach and three to four foreign coaches. Cha Du-ri, head of the Youth Reinforcement Office in Seoul, is a strong candidate for the Korean coach. During his tenure, Klinsmann decided to live in Korea and stayed at a hotel in Seoul until he found a place to stay.

Meanwhile, the Football Association appeared to be paying attention to conducting interviews at the arrival hall, apparently conscious of some negative public opinion about Klinsmann.