South Korea Coach Under Pressure: Fans Demand Sack After Son Heung-min World Cup Snub

South Korea's national football team coach is currently facing significant pressure as thousands of supporters have initiated a petition demanding his removal. This widespread backlash follows the team's unexpected 1-0 loss to South Africa in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a defeat largely attributed by fans to the manager's contentious choice to exclude captain Son Heung-min from the initial lineup. This decision, many believe, was the primary cause of the disappointing outcome that has jeopardized South Korea's World Cup ambitions.

South Africa clinched a memorable victory with a second-half goal, while the Korean side struggled considerably to create scoring opportunities throughout the game. Son, widely regarded as one of the nation's finest footballers ever, was introduced later in the match but could not inspire a turnaround. An online petition quickly gained traction, gathering thousands of signatures within hours, advocating for the manager's immediate dismissal. Supporters argued that benching Son deprived the team of its most seasoned leader and creative force during a critical encounter.

Numerous fans labeled the selection decision as "unacceptable" and "inexcusable," asserting that South Korea should never enter a must-win World Cup fixture without one of the world's most accomplished forwards starting. The petition stated: 'The Korea Football Association's official selection process was effectively ignored, making it difficult to avoid criticism that the appointment was fundamentally illegitimate.' It further elaborated: 'Despite fielding what many considered the strongest squad in Korea's World Cup history, the team finished with one win and two losses, placing third in the group. The performance against South Africa was so lifeless that it could be regarded as one of the worst displays by a Korean team in World Cup history.'

Beyond calling for the coach's removal, the petition also pressed for extensive reforms within the governance of the Korea Football Association (KFA). The coach, Hong, who many speculated would not remain in his position past this campaign, accepted "full responsibility" for the defeat, indicating he would likely step down without resistance if requested. The former South Korea captain, who famously led the team to a semifinal finish in 2002 as a player, commented, 'In terms of the process and preparing for this game, and how we would play on the field, that is something I put much thought into.'

He continued, 'Of course, if we knew what the result was going to be, I probably would have made different choices. But I had a strategy in mind. Whenever such a bad result happens, everyone has their own opinion. The result is really the responsibility of the head coach. Ultimately, it comes down to my hands. I guess I made the wrong decisions, and that was the reason we had a bad result. Nothing more, nothing less.' Regarding his decision to bench Son, Hong explained that he believed the 33-year-old would be most effective when deployed against a fatigued South African team. However, Son was brought on at the start of the second half, immediately after both teams had rested, and his impact on the game was minimal.

'We thought that Son would be better placed (to make an impact) when the opponents were losing their energy, not when they had a lot of energy,' Hong added. 'And when there were more spaces to exploit between the opponents' defensive line, that's when we wanted Son to be at his strongest - when the opponents were a bit weaker.'