South Korea’s love of football kicked into full gear in 2002, when the country co-hosted the World Cup with Japan. The team’s remarkable run to the semi-finals thrilled millions as they cheered into the streets and lifted the spirits of a nation still recovering from the Asian financial crisis.
But in the years since, Japan has raced ahead. South Korea fell to 32nd in the Fifa rankings, its lowest position in four years, after the World Cup exit, while Japan climbed to the 17th spot to become the highest-ranked Asian team.
The two sided have long been rivals but this time many South Korean fans had little confidence in their own team’s chances against Japan.
Some South Koreans mocked their own team after Japanese media reported that Japan had a strong chance of reaching the quarter-finals if it faced South Korea in the last 16. “That’s very kind of them to assume South Korea will even make it to the knockout stage,” one fan wrote on social media.
“It seems the Japanese national team has found a clear answer to the fundamental question of what the team should strive for,” said sports critic Choi, explaining that Japan has built strong teamwork over a long period.
“By contrast, it feels as though South Korea starts from scratch every four years,” he added, pointing to more than 10 coaches who have come and gone since 2002.
All of this, he said, “makes it difficult for the national team to build experience or develop a consistent long-term strategy. The KFA has failed to establish a clear footballing identity rooted in a long-term philosophy”.
Many fans, including President Lee, seem to agree that the KFA needs sweeping reform. A fan who didn’t want to share his name said he hoped that the current backlash will spark that change because that is their demand – transparency and greater focus on long-term strategy.
Younger people are increasingly sensitive to unfairness as they struggle to compete in the world, he said. But now “even in sport – where fairness should matter more than anything else – we’ve watched football administrators ignore that principle. People can no longer accept that.”
