Bento eyes South Korea coaching return

Paulo Bento, the former South Korea manager who led the national team to the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, has let the Korea Football Association know he is interested in returning to the job, according to association officials.

A KFA official said Bento recently told a staff member with whom he has stayed in touch since leaving South Korea that he would be interested in taking over the national team, whose head coaching position is currently vacant. Bento left after the Qatar World Cup and was appointed manager of the United Arab Emirates in July 2023. He departed the role in March last year following a series of disappointing results and is currently unattached.

The KFA, however, stressed that Bento cannot yet be regarded as an official candidate because the process of appointing a new head coach has not begun. The association's communications office said the National Team Strengthening Committee has not discussed a list of candidates, adding that the selection process has not yet reached the stage of accepting applications.

With the 2027 AFC Asian Cup scheduled to open in Saudi Arabia next January, Bento's familiarity with South Korea's squad makes him an intriguing option. Midfielder Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord, who has grown into one of the team's key players, is among the most notable players Bento first brought into the senior national team.

Reassembling Bento's former coaching staff, however, could prove difficult. The backroom team that worked with him during the Qatar World Cup has effectively gone its separate ways. Former assistant coach Sérgio Costa now manages Jeju in K League 1, while Filipe Coelho has taken over as head coach of Romanian club Universitatea Craiova.

Bento is not the only manager with an eye on the position. Several South Korean coaches have also expressed interest in leading the national team. Kim Gi-dong, whose FC Seoul side sits atop the K League 1 table this season, said after Saturday's match against Incheon that he would like to take on the challenge if given the opportunity. Incheon manager Yoon Jong-hwan made a similar remark the same day, saying becoming national team coach has always been his dream, while acknowledging that he still has room to grow before feeling fully prepared for the role.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com