South Korea hire former Spain boss Moreno as interim coach

SEOUL: The South Korean football association has appointed former Spain boss Robert Moreno as interim coach, following a poor World Cup performance and a series of controversies. The 48-year-old will lead the team in friendly matches against Ecuador and Uruguay in September, and Venezuela and Uzbekistan in October. If the KFA organizes additional friendlies during the November international window, Moreno will also be in charge.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Moreno could lead the team at the upcoming Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, pending an evaluation of his performance. The team had been without a coach since Hong Myung-bo's abrupt resignation following South Korea's early exit from the World Cup in June. The KFA apologized for allegations that it provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees and for an investigation into Hong's 2024 appointment.

Moreno, who will become the first Spaniard to coach South Korea, was hired after an open recruitment process. The coach previously led Spain temporarily in 2019 after Luis Enrique's daughter was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. He became the permanent coach of Spain in June 2019, but was replaced by Luis Enrique again in November 2019, due to his daughter's death.

Moreno was accused of using AI to prepare for games during his time in Russia, which he denied in an open letter to Spanish newspaper Marca.