The South Korean Football Association is parting ways with team boss Jürgen Klinsmann. The 59-year-old German has already been informed of his dismissal, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday. According to association president Chung Mong-gyu, his performance did not meet expectations. It was not initially known whether the dismissal also affected his assistant Andreas Herzog.
Klinsmann faced strong criticism in South Korea after his team’s semi-final defeat against outsiders Jordan at the Asian Cup in Qatar. Fans had called for his resignation. Over the course of the tournament, the German’s popularity suffered and his apparent smile-away from problems was not appreciated everywhere. Commuting between his hometown of Los Angeles and South Korea was also criticized.
Klinsmann has looked after the 2002 World Cup fourth-place finisher since the beginning of last year together with Herzog, who already worked with the USA national team from 2012 to 2016 under the 1990 World Cup winner. Klinsmann’s contract would have run until the 2026 World Cup final.
