South Korea national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo holds a press conference at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 28 (local time), announcing his resignation after the team failed to advance to the round of 32 at the 2026 North America World Cup. [Yonhap]
South Korea national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo holds a press conference at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 28 (local time), announcing his resignation after the team failed to advance to the round of 32 at the 2026 North America World Cup. [Yonhap]

The Red Devils, South Korea's official football supporters' group, sharply criticized Hong Myung-bo following his resignation as head coach of the national team.

In a statement released Monday, the Red Devils said Hong "must leave the football world forever." The group added that if he had used their sincerity as a tool to whitewash past failures, "that was not self-sacrifice — it was driving Korean football to its death to save himself."

When Hong took charge of the national team again in July 2024, he declared: "I have abandoned myself. There is no more 'me.' There is only Korean football."

Hong previously managed the national team at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, where South Korea was eliminated in the group stage with one draw and two losses. He returned to the role 12 years later for the North America tournament but again failed to advance, finishing with one win and two losses in the group stage.

Hong drew heavy criticism for deploying an overly defensive strategy in the final group match against South Africa, even while trailing 1-0. A draw would have been enough to advance to the round of 32.

The Red Devils closed their statement by vowing to "use every means available from Monday onward to fight until those who are eating away at Korean football are gone."


yeongdai@heraldcorp.com