The World Cup qualifying dream turned sour in Seoul last night as fans turned their fury on the national team coach after a dismal performance against a minnow nation. Chants of 'Sack the manager' echoed through the stadium as the team slumped to a 1-1 draw against a side ranked 100 places below them. This is not just a sporting disappointment.
It is a national humiliation for a country that lives and breathes football. The coach, paid a handsome salary, has presided over a string of lacklustre results, with players looking lost on the pitch. For fans who have saved for months to afford tickets and travel, this was a betrayal.
'We work double shifts to buy a ticket and this is what we get,' one angry fan told me outside the stadium, tears in his eyes. The football association now faces a reckoning. Will they stick with a manager who has lost the dressing room?
Or listen to the voice of the people? Either way, the real cost is being paid by ordinary supporters whose passion is being taken for granted.
