Even smiling is questioned
Damning criticism overwhelms Klinsmann after humiliation
February 7, 2024, 12:43 p.m
Jürgen Klinsmann wants to win the Asian Cup with South Korea. But in the semifinals they will be eliminated against Jordan. The South Korean press is raging against the former national coach, who is coming under increasing pressure. It’s not just about sporting things.
“Shameful” and “humiliating”: Coach Jürgen Klinsmann is under a lot of pressure in South Korea after being eliminated in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. The reaction from the fans and media at home after the 2-0 defeat against Jordan was devastating, the tenor was that the defeat was just the latest example of questionable tactics and team formation and then there was the matter of how he dealt with the shocking defeat .
Because it is precisely the way in which Klinsmann keeps a smile on his face even in defeat that has once again brought out his critics. The 59-year-old congratulated his colleague Hussein Ammouta with a smile on Tuesday after the 2-0 defeat in Qatar’s Al-Rayyan against Jordan. This smile was difficult to understand, wrote the newspaper “Ilgan Sports” and was just one voice in the sea of thousands of critics.
“While the players showed their disappointment and forced smiles, Klinsmann’s face was filled with laughter,” wrote “Sports Hankook”: “It was a scene that was extremely confusing, considering that he was the coach of the Korean national team is.”
“What just happened?”
Klinsmann was asked about it immediately after the game: It was normal for him to congratulate the other coach, he said. Klinsmann has a quick smile, but with it he “sometimes offends people,” wrote the national news agency “Yonhap.”
The newspaper “JoongAng Ilbo” meanwhile gave the former national coach a thought-provoking lesson for the return flight: “Korea, and especially head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, have to answer an important question: What just happened?” she wrote. “Ilgan Sports” provided the answer. There you could read about a devastating defeat.
Is Jürgen Klinsmann now resigning?
Klinsmann wanted to win the tournament with South Korea for the first time since 1960, but he didn’t manage a single shot on goal against the Jordanians, who were 64 places lower in the world rankings. Klinsmann, however, received support from former Bundesliga star Heung-Min Son, who said the former national coach would become “even stronger” after the bankruptcy.
Klinsmann ruled out resigning. “I don’t plan to do anything,” he said: “I plan to analyze this tournament and talk to the Korean federation about what was good and what wasn’t so good. There’s still a lot of work ahead of us. ” Klinsmann said he was “disappointed” and “angry”: “We had the big goal of getting to the final.” This has now been missed. The future of the former national coach is currently unwritten.