Bonfrere: “Can’t Throw Away the Old Shoes Until I Get Some New Ones!”

Leaving behind the success of advancing into the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, the matter in hand for the Korean football team, which is currently lagging behind, is generation change. What would coach Jo Bonfrere (58), the Netherlands-born head coach of Korea’s national football team, have to say on this matter?

Head coach Bonfrere expressed his opinions on Sunday by citing a Netherlands’ proverb: “You don’t throw away your old shoes until you get some new shoes.”

Upon returning to Korea on Saturday from a Group Seven match in the FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualifiers against Lebanon, head coach Bonfrere expressed his negative stance on the issue concerning a hasty generation change, saying, “When the time is right, it will take place.”

Head coach Bonfrere’s opinion of generation change is not a vast change, it is picking players with possibilities and testing them before employing them on the pitch. Head coach Bonfrere’s standpoint is, “We are willing to employ talented players anytime as long as they show the ability to play.”

He stated that “even though we tied, overall, I think it was a good game. Although we gave them a point, we were strong against Lebanon’s offense,” though Korean soccer fans were still disappointed at the result. However, he added, “I hope the players show more enthusiasm for winning than just merely wanting to participate in the game,” urging the players to put forth more effort.

The Korean national team will reconvene on the 17th of next month, one week prior to the final round against the Maldives, which will determine whether Korea will advance into the final round of the World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Sang-Ho Kim sunjung71@hotmail.com