Former Japanese national soccer team coach Vahid Halilhodzic, who has had a considerable relationship with Korean soccer over the past decade, made a statement admitting that she had light contact with the Korea Football Association (KFA) in an interview with the local media.
Coach Halilhodzic recently left a comment about the Korean national football team, which is looking for a successor to head coach Paulo Bento, through a phone interview with , a media outlet in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In response to a question from Radio Sarajevo about contact with Korea, director Halilhodzic said, “Yes, they called me, and we only had a brief conversation.” Regarding the fact that Korea advanced to the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he said, “I know. I’ve been watching their situation. They are a team with a great chance.”
However, he declined to comment further. “I’m not going to talk about that now,” said coach Halilhodzic. He also emphasized that it is not a matter to be taken seriously, saying, “Many teams, including the national team and clubs, call me. Most of them are clubs, and we always talk briefly.” Coach Halilhodzic said that he would soon be traveling to Podgorica, Montenegro, and only replied, “Personally, I need a break right now. I’ll see what happens over the next few days.”
Coach Halil Hodzic is a foreign coach very familiar to Korean soccer fans. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, he served as the Algerian national soccer team’s command tower and shocked Korean soccer fans by directing a 4-2 victory in the match against Korea. Later, he took on the leadership of the Japanese national football team and played against Korea through the EAFF (East Asian Football Federation) E-1 Football Championship. 스포츠토토
However, he has not been good in the last two World Cups. He was dismissed from the Japanese national football team head coach two months before the opening of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and was sacked from the Moroccan national football team head coach two months before the opening of the Qatar World Cup. He is a leader who is always criticized for his self-righteous personality that constantly causes friction with not only some key players but also high-ranking officials in the association.
Meanwhile, coach Halilhodzic left congratulations to Morocco, which had built a monumental achievement by advancing to the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar as soon as he was kicked out. “I have done a great job as a manager, but I was not lucky enough to finish this journey. Congratulations to Morocco on their success. Fourth place is a great achievement,” said Halilhodzic.
