Korean Olympic Football Team Coach Speaks to Press

“Our young players have enormous potential. The team could do well in the Olympics,” said Park Seong-hwa, the 52-year-old head coach of the Korean Olympic soccer team, after he pulled out three consecutive wins in preliminary matches among Asian national teams for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

He did not express too much confidence, but is entertaining high hopes that the team could make it to the Olympics and make a run next year.

Park took the helm of the Olympic team after many twists and turns, including the resignation of former head coach Pim Verbeek and much speculation about the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as Verbeek’s successor. He demonstrated excellent crisis management ability by successfully leading the Olympic team amid the stagnant performance of Korea’s adult and youth national teams. After increasing Korea’s chances of winning an Olympic ticket by defeating Syria by 1 to nothing on September 12, he was presiding over a coaching staff meeting the next day. Your reporter met him at his office in the Korea Football Association.

Young Players are the Hope of Korean Football-

Park scouted seven to eight players from the U-20 team consisting of players of younger than 20 years to pursue the kind of “aggressive football” that fans prefer. He placed three to four of them on the list of his best 11. Some expressed concern that that this was too rapid a shift in generations.

With the experience of leading the U-20 team in 2005, he made correct comparisons between players who played on that team at that time and those who are currently on the team. The result was a big success. Those from the U-20 team, including Shin Yeong-rok (Suwon Samsung), Lee Sang-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Ki Seong-yong (FC Seoul), and Choi Cheol-sun (Jeonbuk Hyundai) took on major roles, contributing significantly to the uptrend of the 2007 team’s performance. Ha Tae-gyun (Suwon) and Shin Gwang-hun (Pohang Steelers) are also doing good job.

Park said, “I could shape the team as I wanted while training in UAE prior to the 2nd match with Bahrain (which his team won, 1 to 0). The team is not perfect yet, but starting from that match, I led the team as I planned.”

He said, “As the U-20 players have well-balanced techniques and spirit, they will play a big role not only in the final preliminary but also in the Olympics, if nurtured properly,” hinting that he might induce more competition between former and current U-20 players.

Global Trend Is Toward Stable Play-

Many criticize him for “pursuing defensive football and focusing on attacking the sides.”

He said, “Those outside the team do not know it, but the style of play, be it offensive or defensive, is determined by the composition of a team’s players. I stress that all players should attack and defend at the same time as well. But that is hard due to the composition of players on our squad. World-class teams, such as France and Brazil, go on the attack after strengthening their defense. In a big match, losing a goal due to poor defense leads to a defeat. I believe that the team can develop by leaning on its strengths, rather than by complementing shortcomings. Korean teams are traditionally strong at side attacks. We need to attempt attacks in the center, but we should also keep our strength: the side attack.”

Proactive Spirit Changes Korean Football-

“Korean players are passive, while European players are proactive. After a 90-minute match, Europeans are exhausted, while Korean players are still smiling. That is the difference between European leagues and the K-league.”

He emphasizes a proactive attitude to players. He said, “There is hope because the current U-20 players have such spirit.” He forcefully said, “I had a very hard time. I disappointed fans and left 17 days after I was appointed as the head coach of Busan I’Park. I carry the burden forever. I’ll do what I can to relieve that burden.”

yjongk@donga.com