But national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann, 59, was not to be trifled with. At his inaugural press conference in March, he smiled and declared. “It’s natural for the national team coach to be based in Korea. I’ve been lucky to live in many different countries. I have been fortunate to live in many countries. I will experience Korean culture while living here. I will watch the K League as well as other games.”

The foreign coaches don’t have to be physically present in Korea. He explained that he will be working exclusively with advisor Cha Doo-ri and coach Michael Kim.

Given the nature of Korean soccer, having an A-team coach “in-country” is not something to be taken lightly, and while I took him at his word, my concerns from five months ago are becoming a reality. Klinsmann’s time in Korea has been few and far between. The Korean Football Association’s version of “remote management” is a myth. Concerns have already been raised. There is no diversity. Europeans are Europeans. No one is questioning the national team, which includes Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain-PSG) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who play in Europe’s top five leagues. The same goes for proven resources like Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan). However, when it comes to players who didn’t make it in the K League after high school and went to Europe, we have to hold them to a higher standard. The moment you fall into the ‘communication trap’, you can’t see the bubble. Being European in appearance is not a “one-size-fits-all” key. The US coach will soon announce his roster for the two September A matches. There are already voices of concern that Klinsmann’s choice is still ‘Europeans first’.

This may be unfair to players who were recognized for their talent early on in the K League and were chosen by domestic professional teams instead of Europe, but Klinsmann doesn’t seem to care. If he doesn’t see the need for ‘domestic residency’, there’s nothing more to look forward to.

The head coach is not in Korea, so communication is difficult. Next month, the Hangzhou Asian Games will begin. As a foreign coach, you might not realize the importance of the Asian Games. But the players are different. They have a special exception for military service. For the likes of Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games was crucial to their enjoyment of the European stage.

That’s why PSG’s newest signing, Lee Kang-in, is being called up. The Asian Games are not a FIFA mandated tournament. PSG has no compelling reason to release Lee. The carrot is military service. However, between the two September A matches and the Asian Games, there is an unseen war of attrition between the national team and the club.

If Klinsmann, who holds the key, was in Korea, they could have put their heads together and come up with a win-win solution. But the communication is missing. The Football Association, which is supposed to organize traffic, is looking the other way. Klinsmann is more concerned about his “first win” than the Asian Games. His talk of age-group teams is just a “blank check”.

The women’s national team failed in the Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup. All that was left was to blame the “system” of Colin Bell, who took over the reins of South Korean women’s soccer four years ago in October 2019 and is still a stranger to the game.카지노

Klinsmann’s distrust is also growing. On June 6, he appeared on American media outlet ESPN and said, “It’s an exciting challenge to be in charge of the Korean national team. I’ve been traveling a lot. I’ve been very busy for a few months getting to know Korean football, the people and the players.” But Korea was only a sideline. The main focus was on the future of Harry Kane, the man at the center of the Bayern Munich transfer saga.

The empty wagon was rumbling. Klinsmann’s path to leadership has not been smooth, and a dark shadow is looming large.