The manager of South Korea's national football team has resigned hours after the country's president called for an investigation into the side's humiliating World Cup exit. The move caps a bitter week for a nation that expects success on the global stage and has left fans questioning the direction of the sport.
Head coach Paulo Bento, a Portuguese tactician who took charge in 2018, stepped down following the team's 4-1 loss to Brazil in the round of 16. The defeat was South Korea's heaviest in World Cup history and sparked immediate anger in Seoul. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who had watched the match from the presidential office, said the result demanded a thorough review. "The people deserve to know what went wrong," his office said in a statement. "The president has ordered a full investigation into the management and preparation of the national team."
Bento's resignation came first. In a brief press conference at the team's hotel in Doha, the 53-year-old said he was taking "full responsibility" for the performance. "I gave everything I had, but it was not enough. The team is bigger than any one person. I wish them well for the future." He did not take questions.
The president's intervention, rare in a sporting context, reflects the deep attachment South Koreans have to football and the expectation that their team should compete with the world's best. The country co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals a feat that remains a source of immense national pride. Since then, however, results have been uneven. Last year's Asian Cup ended in defeat in the quarter-finals.
For working-class fans in Seoul and Busan, the cost of supporting the team is a real burden. Match tickets for the World Cup cost hundreds of pounds, and many families saved for months to watch the team in Qatar. The early exit has left them feeling not just disappointment, but a sense that the money was wasted. "I took two weeks off work, unpaid, to come here," said Kim Min-jun, a construction worker from Incheon. "I believed in them. Now I feel stupid."
The South Korean Football Association has promised a full review, with a new coach expected to be appointed before the next Asian Cup in 2023. But fans are demanding more than a managerial change. The president's investigation is set to examine everything from training methods to player selection and even the use of public funds for the team's preparation.
Critics say the real issue is a system that produces technically gifted players but fails to instil the tactical discipline needed at the highest level. The collapse against Brazil, where South Korea conceded four first-half goals, was a case in point. "We have good individuals, but we do not function as a team under pressure," said Park Ji-sung, a former Manchester United midfielder who is now a pundit. "This is not the fault of one coach. It is a structural problem."
While the elite focus on the World Cup, the grassroots game in South Korea struggles. Many young players from low-income families cannot afford the fees for academy training. The government's sports funding is skewed towards elite athletes. Unions and community groups have long called for more investment in local pitches and coaching. "If you want to win on the world stage, you need to build from the bottom," said Lee Soo-jin, a schoolteacher and youth football organiser in Gwangju. "Our kids play on concrete, while European kids play on grass."
The president's probe may satisfy public anger in the short term, but real change will require money and political will. For now, the national team is in limbo, without a coach and without a clear plan. And for the fans who spent their savings on the dream of glory, there is only the bitter taste of defeat.
