(3rd LD) S. Korea to hire foreign coach for men's nat'l football team: official

(ATTN: ADDS potential candidates in final 4 paras)

PAJU, South Korea, July 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will seek to hire a foreign head coach to fill the vacancy on the men's senior national football team, the sport's technical director said Thursday.

Lee Yong-soo, who was named the new head of the technical committee at the Korea Football Association (KFA) last week, said at a press conference that he has narrowed down candidates for the top coaching job in South Korean football to three foreign nationals.

"We've shortlisted three coaches based on specific criteria, and all three are from overseas," Lee said. "One South Korean coach met our criteria, but our committee decided to keep him off the list this time."

Lee chaired his first meeting with his seven new committee members over the past two days at the National Football Center (NFC) here in Paju, north of Seoul. Lee called the press conference at the NFC to discuss the results of the session.

Lee said the committee reviewed 17 South Korean and 30 international candidates based on eight criteria. Lee said the candidates must have had coaching experience at continental competitions, such as the Asian Cup or the European Championship, and also must have coached in the regional qualifying rounds for the FIFA World Cup or have led a country to at least the round of 16 at the World Cup finals.

According to Lee, the successful candidate must also be proficient enough in English to coach his players in the language, and must be able to sign with South Korea immediately.

Lee said the new coach will lead South Korea through the Asian qualifications for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The final regional qualification round will wrap up in 2017.

"The KFA will begin serious negotiations with the three candidates next week," Lee added. "We will not identify those candidates at this time."

Lee had said earlier that cost would be a matter of concern when hiring a foreign coach, but explained on Thursday the salary wasn't an issue when shortlisting candidates.

"The issue of wage will be further discussed during negotiations between the KFA and the candidates," Lee added.

The main responsibility of the technical committee is to nominate national team head coaches in different age groups. The position on the senior national team has been vacant for three weeks, since Hong Myung-bo resigned to take the fall for South Korea's winless exit out of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Lee also said he doesn't expect negotiations to be easy.

"We in the technical committee have no idea what our candidates will demand, and we understand it could take longer than we expect," he said. "If the KFA is unable to come to terms with any of the three, then our committee will meet again for more in-depth discussions."

During his inaugural press conference Monday, Lee had said some coaches have approached him with interest in the position but declined to elaborate further.

Lee, who had also served in the same role in 2002, and his committee are pressed for time. South Korea has scheduled a friendly match against Venezuela on Sept. 5 and against Uruguay three days later in preparation for January's Asian Cup in Australia, the next major international competition.

Lee has previously said he will take his time to find the right person for the job, adding that having an interim coach for the two September matches is a possibility.

Before the 2002 World Cup, Lee was responsible for bringing the Dutch coach Guus Hiddink on board. Hiddink led South Korea, a co-host of the tournament with Japan, to the semifinals, and remains the most successful coach for South Korea.

Since Hiddink, foreign coaches have had mixed results on the South Korean bench. Dick Advocaat, from the Netherlands, coached South Korea at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. South Korea earned its first away World Cup victory but fell short of making it to the round of 16.

Humberto Coelho of Portugal, and two Dutchmen, Jo Bonfrere and Pim Verbeek, each lasted about a year as the head coach here.

Huh Jung-moo coached South Korea at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and led the team to the round of 16. Three coaches that came after him had all been South Koreans.

Pressed further on why a South Korean candidate was left out, Lee said he felt it was time for a change.

"When we were ranking candidates based on our criteria, foreign coaches occupied the top three spots," Lee explained. "I think South Korean coaches are also capable, but we felt we needed to take this opportunity to bring about a change."

A source privy to matters at the KFA said the candidates that have met the technical committee's criteria are apparently Europeans with English proficiency and substantial experience at club and international level.

Bert van Marwijk, who took his native Netherlands to the final at the 2010 World Cup, may fit the profile. The 62-year-old Dutchman coached the Netherlands from 2008 to 2012, and has also led top-flight clubs such as Feyenoord in the Netherlands and Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV in Germany. He managed the Netherlands in 52 matches, recording 34 wins, 10 draws and eight losses.

He has been out of a job since being sacked by Hamburger SV in February this year. Should he take over South Korea, van Marwijk will be the fourth Dutch coach here since Hiddink.

Fernando Santos of Portugal, who coached Greece to the round of 16 at this year's World Cup, also brings plenty of experience to the table. Before Greece, Santos, 59, had coached first-division clubs such as Benfica and Sporting CP of Portugal, and was named the coach of the year in the top Greek league four times. Santos had a record of 26 wins, 17 draws and six losses with the Greek national team.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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