Former head coach Paulo Bento has urged the South Korean national football team to rebuild from scratch and restore consistency after its early elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
"Not the Fault of One or Two People"
According to Yonhap News on Monday, Bento, who closely followed South Korea's group-stage matches during the tournament, opened a video interview with the outlet after the team's elimination was confirmed by saying, "This kind of situation is usually not a problem that can be blamed on one or two people."
He advised, "It is important to go all the way back to the beginning, clearly acknowledge each person's responsibility, and rebuild by reviewing everything from 1 to 10 from square one."
The national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, recorded one win and two losses in the group stage of this tournament, finishing 34th out of 48 countries, and had to pack up without reaching the round of 32. The team made a fresh start in its first match with a 2-1 comeback victory over the Czech Republic, but fell 0-1 to host Mexico and also lost 0-1 to South Africa, which had been considered a notch below, ending its tournament early.
Bento reflected, "Because the result of the first match was good, expectations both inside and outside were bound to grow even more," adding, "I too was very impressed by South Korea's performance in the second half of the first match."
He stressed, "Such a result is hard to accept easily, but in football, upsets where a team considered weak beats a strong team happen from time to time. This time South Korea simply experienced that upset, and the key is whether it can overcome this failure and move forward."
The Round of 16 After 12 Years, and Its Driving Force
This advice carries more weight given the results Bento achieved at the Qatar tournament. Taking the South Korean helm in September 2018, he led an approximately four-year journey with determination and completed the country's advance to the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in 12 years, before leaving the team without a contract renewal.
At the time, South Korea, drawn into a group with powerhouses such as Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal, stirred fans' hearts with proactive football that refused to back down. In the final group-stage match, pushed to the brink with one draw and one loss, the team proved its indomitable fighting spirit by pulling off a miracle, defeating Portugal 2-1.
While avoiding a direct evaluation of the Hong Myung-bo regime, Bento cited "consistency" as an essential condition for South Korean football to regain its competitiveness. He pointed to "the firm trust that had taken root among the coach, coaching staff and players even in difficult situations" as a major driving force behind the round-of-16 advance four years ago.
He recalled, "When I first took the job, what I focused on most was establishing the team's own unique tactical identity together, and creating a way to lead one another," adding, "I considered the most important task to be solidifying the system based on mutual trust with the players, and making the players believe in themselves and in the process."
Bento also pointed out, "I was able to fully lead one team for a little over four years, but after I left, South Korea went through as many as four managers over four years, including caretakers."
He emphasized, "This is something I hope the Korea Football Association will take a moment to examine as it considers its path forward," adding, "For a coach to build trust with players, maximize their strengths and establish a firm style of play, sufficient time must be given."
Finally, he left a heartfelt message: "I know that many internal changes will follow, such as in the association's board of directors and leadership. But in my view, the most important key is this — to lead Korean football in a better direction, everyone must coolly analyze and reflect on their own role and responsibility in their respective positions."
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