“Trust Me”

“The goal is to go as far as possible in the 2006 Germany World Cup. I will do my best to achieve this goal.”

After signing a contract on June 24, Johannes Bonfrere (58), the new head coach of the Korean national soccer team, expressed his hopes toward the 2006 Germany World Cup at the Sinmunro Soccer Center in Seoul.

Bonfrere said, “Korea achieved incredible results in the 2002 World Cup. However, sitting in the couch in relief will only end up being stranded. The expectations are high, and the responsibility is heavy. I will try to grasp the situation keenly; prepare and show the new style of soccer.”

He said, “The reason why I succeeded as a coach in Nigeria was because of sufficient time. If there is not enough time to spend on training, I might not be able to get all the details about each player on the team. Support from the football association and the clubs is required.” He added, “I’ll train the players through friendly matches. After the Asian Cup (July) and Athens Olympics (August) are over, I’ll select the 25 players to prepare for the Germany World Cup.”

Saying that the coach should reprove the players who don’t have a mindset of winning, he said, “I will use the carrot-and-stick technique. Based on the list of 50 players I have, I will organize a new team. Through my numerous experiences, I know how to handle the players, so trust me.”

Concerning the football association’s decision to select three players as “wild cards” (those who can play in the Olympics among the players aged 23 or over), he said, “Decisions that were already made should be accepted. To prepare for the Asian Cup, I will first check on the condition of players when they are called up on June 29, and then proceed on the strategy and the skills.”

Visiting the National Football Center in Paju after signing the contract, Bonfrere remarked that the facilities were wonderful.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com