Coach Vahid Halilhodzic (71, Bosnia) has risen to the surface as a candidate for the new head coach of the Korean national soccer team to succeed Paulo Bento (54, Portugal). He is the commander who previously led Algeria and defeated Korea, and is also a coach with an unusual history of being sacked three times just before the World Cup.
According to Bosnian media Radio Sarajevo, coach Halil Hodzic said, “It is true that he called me” when asked if he had been contacted by the Korea Football Association on the 29th. However, he did not add details, saying, “We had a short conversation. I get a lot of calls from the national and club teams. I always answer briefly.”
In the case of other candidates that have been discussed as candidates, local media reports have been the focus, but coach Halil Hodzic is different in that he directly revealed that he had contacted the Korea Football Association. “I need a break now,” he explained, “but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
In the past, coach Halil Hodzic led club teams such as Lille, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Nantes (above France), as well as the national teams of Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Japan and Morocco. He faced Korea for the first time at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Korea, then led by coach Hong Myung-bo, saw Algeria as a sacrifice, but suffered a 2-4 defeat to Algeria, led by coach Halil Hodzic. At that time, Algeria advanced to the round of 16 for the first time ever.
After that, he led the Japanese national team to the EAFF (East Asian Football Federation) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) in 2015 and 2017 and played against Korea and Japan. In 2015, they drew 1-1, but at home, they were defeated 1-4 by Korea, led by Shin Tae-yong at the time.
As the head coach of the national team other than Algeria, there are not a few negative things about his resume. Even though he passed the World Cup qualifiers, he has a history of being hardened three times before the finals. 안전놀이터
At the time of the 2010 South African tournament, he had to put down the baton right before the World Cup, taking responsibility for the African Cup of Nations quarterfinal elimination even after leading Ivory Coast through the preliminary round. In the 2018 Russian tournament, after leading Japan through the preliminary round, he was hardened for poor performance just two months before the opening of the World Cup.
It was also coach Halilhodzic who brought Morocco, which caused a sensation in the semifinals at the recent World Cup in Qatar, to the final stage. However, he had to lay down the baton again three months before the opening of the World Cup. In the meantime, the main reason for the resignation of the national team was the ‘conflict’ with the Football Association or the national team player.
Apart from coach Halil Hozic’s insistence, it seems unlikely that the Korea Football Association’s National Team Strengthening Committee included him in the ‘potential candidates’. Born in 1952, he is now a considerable age, and he has a history of frequent internal conflicts. Dropping off at every recent World Cup tournament in Japan and Morocco also seems to be quite far from the Korean soccer situation, which has to continue the momentum of the last 16 World Cup in Qatar.
On the 25th, the Power Reinforcement Committee held its first online meeting regarding the appointment of a new director with the new chairman Michael Müller (58, Germany) and six members attending. The Korea Football Association plans to appoint a new coach by next month. The first A match of this year is scheduled for March, and local media in Uruguay reported that Uruguay would visit Korea in March and play an evaluation match against Korea.
