Park Hang-seo, former head of the Korea national football team’s player support unit, criticized the Korea Football Association (KFA) while revealing behind-the-scenes stories from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Park, who appeared on a YouTube channel on September 2, stated, “The issue wasn’t a ‘Korea University cartel’ but a ‘KFA cartel.’ It was their own league,” adding, “This was a problem waiting to explode. Soul-searching reflection is needed.”
He also detailed the chaotic situation surrounding the national team before and after the FIFA World Cup in North America. “Even as head, I didn’t know what to do,” Park said. “During meetings, I asked, ‘As head, how does the reporting line work?’ but most had no answer. I felt like they were telling me, ‘Don’t make a fuss.’” This underscored his limited authority to intervene in overall team operations despite his title.
Park also mentioned the “interview boycott” incident ahead of the Czech Republic match in the group stage. At the time, some reporters were exposed for mocking players during training, leading Captain Son Heung-min to declare a boycott.
Regarding this, Park said, “I wasn’t initially informed and later requested the KFA to resolve it quickly, but the situation didn’t improve easily.” He added, “Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung came to me. How frustrated must they have been to reach out?”
He reflected on the resignation process of then-head coach Hong Myung-bo. After Korea’s group-stage elimination was confirmed, Park received a request from the KFA to participate in an apology statement. Initially, he said, “The KFA’s executive director and committee chairman were supposed to join, but they seemed reluctant. I told them, ‘Just back off,’ and read the apology alone.”
Park criticized Hong’s resignation press conference, where the coach left without a Q&A session. “Ending without answering questions was incomprehensible,” he said. “He should have cleanly admitted faults and faced criticism. Avoiding it wouldn’t solve anything.”
Park also recounted the team’s return to Korea. “Everyone was wary at the airport, so I stepped out first to do my part,” he said. At the time, he preceded Hong and KFA executives during the team’s arrival amid angry fans.
“The KFA was too arrogant,” Park said. “This incident should prompt the KFA to humble itself and let younger football figures like Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo lead change.”
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