KFA Appoints Robert Moreno as Temporary Head Coach of South Korea

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- When announcing its hiring of Spanish tactician Robert Moreno as the temporary head coach of the men's national football team Tuesday, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said it wanted him to do more than just win matches.

The KFA specifically said it wanted Moreno to "change the mood of the national team."

That is the bar for the 48-year-old Moreno, the former Spain men's national team boss who is taking over the much-criticized South Korean team only weeks removed from a shocking group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup.

Moreno's appointment comes about two months after Hong Myung-bo stepped down as head coach to hold himself accountable for that disappointing World Cup.

Hong had been an unpopular choice in the first place, with critics accusing the KFA of resorting to an unfair and opaque process to hire him in July 2024. Hong was often booed before and after national team matches at home, and the earlier-than-expected elimination from the World Cup was the nail in the coffin.

Mindful of public criticism of its previous hiring practices, the KFA conducted an open recruitment process this time, accepting applications from interested coaches during the summer before finalizing its talks with Moreno and his staff over the weekend.

The KFA chose not to rush to hire a full-time replacement for Hong. With the first post-World Cup match window set to open in September, the KFA instead chose to go with a caretaker boss to hold the fort over the next couple of months.

South Korea will host Ecuador on Sept. 24, Uruguay on Sept. 28, Venezuela on Oct. 2 and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. Then there will be two more matches scheduled during the next FIFA window, Nov. 9-17.

South Korea may not win all six matches but at least showing more fight than they did at the World Cup will go a long way toward restoring fans' faith in the squad.

In the process, Moreno will help his own cause, too.

After the November matches, South Korea will compete at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup, kicking off in January in Saudi Arabia. The KFA's plan is to have a full-time head coach in place before the end of the year, with Moreno signed through Nov. 27.

However, the KFA said Moreno will be given a chance to stay on through the Asian Cup, depending on South Korea's performance in his first six matches.