Former Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo. [Yonhap]
Former Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo. [Yonhap]

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo criticized the South Korean national soccer team and the Samsung Lions baseball club Thursday, saying "if the coach is stupid, the players take the blame."

Writing on his Facebook page Thursday, Hong said the national soccer team and the Samsung Lions were "no different from each other," adding that while player selection is considered the coach's sole prerogative, "that only applies when the coach is a great tactician."

Hong appeared to be arguing that responsibility for the teams' poor performances lies with coaching leadership rather than the players themselves.

Earlier Thursday, South Korea suffered a 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the 2026 World Cup group stage. A draw would have been enough to advance as second in the group and reach the round of 32, but the loss dropped South Korea to third place, leaving its fate dependent on results from other matches.


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