[News UP] Hong Myung-bo vanquished Jordan...Controversy continues over appointment in the green light for the World Cup

■ Host: anchor Yoon Jae-hee
■ Starring: soccer commentator Park Moon-sung

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN News UP] when quoting.

[Anchor]
Let's analyze the Jordanian war in detail. With soccer commentator Park Moon-sung. Please come in. It wasn't an easy away game, so please give us a general review first.

[Park Moon-sung]
It went well. I was a little worried, but it's not easy to go on an expedition. Jordan was a team that caused pain in the Asian Cup earlier this year, and it was a relief and good fight in that it was a scoreless 2:0 and won by scoring two goals.

[Anchor]
As you said, it was also a revenge match against the Asian Cup, which is evaluated as a nightmare in February, and I think it paid back the same. The score of 2:0 was the same, right?

[Moonsung Park]
At that time, we didn't like the content either. So many people had a hard time. This time, the first half was a little difficult. Although there were difficulties due to injuries, young players who set the tone especially in the second half after Lee Jae-sung's goal and replaced it in the second half. Bae Jun-ho or Oh Hyun-kyu, or Um Ji-sung who entered in the first half. Young players have changed the atmosphere quite a lot, and they have caught all the contents and results of the game.

[Anchor]
Captain Son Heung-min's absence was a concern, but Hwang Hee-chan, who was put in the vacancy, was replaced due to injury. Is your condition okay now?

[Moonsung Park]
It's a bit unfortunate. I fell down twice. The second time he collapsed, he was eventually carried on his back and helped out. I think we will play Iraq in Yongin, Korea on Tuesday, but I think that game will be difficult. Overall, there may be some fallout from our players' injuries. Um Ji-sung also went out in the end. Also, because I have to play after going to Jordan, there must be a lot of physical pressure, but fortunately, I played all over the world and returned to a chartered plane. So, I hope you recovered quickly from these parts.

[Anchor]
Kim Min-jae, who was the interim captain, has been acting as an iron pillar, what was the captain's role? Do you think I pulled it off well?

[Moonsung Park]
We didn't score a point today. Today, when Kim Min-jae was playing, the Jordan game was a little different from usual. If Kim Min-jae is the type to go out defiantly and break down the opponent, he keeps a little today. The decision was made because Jordan is so fast that let's not give the opponent a back space rather than cutting ahead, but Kim Min-jae did a good job personally and played his part in leading the team overall.

[Anchor]
There were many evaluations that they saw the possibility of generational change in this game. Lee Jae-sung is also mentioned, and young players such as Oh Hyun-kyu were active.

[PARK MOON SUNG]
That's right. That's what Lee Kang-in said during the interview after the game. All teams need a lot of energy from young players, but our national team seemed to lack that. But with this game, I saw a lot of that possibility, and I said, "I'm so glad that young players did so well." The average starting age of the Korean national team for this Jordan match was almost 30. I was 20 years old. There are a lot. Originally, the most appropriate age should be around 26 or 27 on average. Players in their early 20s and players in their 30s are united to that extent, but young players who played an active role this time. For example, Oh Hyun-gyu, Um Ji-sung, and Bae Jun-ho are all 23, 22, 21 years old. There's Lee Kang-in, too. So I think that the fact that our young players showed promise is another harvest as much as the victory in today's game.

[Anchor]
It is pointed out that the first step in the recent crisis of Korean soccer is the defeat against Jordan at the Asian Cup in February. There was also the replacement of coach Klinsmann, and there was a lot of noise in the series of processes after that, so I think today's game must have been very important for coach Hong and for the players.

[Moonsung Park]
It's important to change the atmosphere or players gain more confidence. While watching the Jordan game, I felt that regret. Our players are really great. There are so many good players that they are called the best members of all time. Despite Son Heung-min's injury, showing this level of performance means that we have a lot of offensive resources and good players. If you run the national team well and the coach has consistently formed a team with these good resources for a long time, you will have much better team tactics and team performance than now. There was such a regret, but I hope you will make such a team step by step in the future.

[Anchor]
After the game, coach Hong Myung-bo mentioned that it was a very important game for the national team rather than an individual, and I think it must have been very burdensome for the players as well as the coach because there were concerns from domestic fans about the soccer team.

[Moonsung Park]
There must have been a burden. But fortunately, I think it was a position that I should take as a coach that I did it for the team rather than the individual that Hong Myung-bo said today. I think that I can get that evaluation because I produced that kind of result. Kim Min-jae also said that after the game. He said, "Our players are united, you don't have to worry about such things," but I think we can expect a better flow in the Iraq game because this victory can create more and more synergy.

[Anchor]
So how can we expect the Iraq match at home next week?

[Moonsung Park]
Iraq played again right after our game. I played against Palestine and won 1:0. An ace named Hussein scored a goal to win, but the points are the same as ours. There are 1st and 2nd place in terms of goal difference, and in fact, the Iraq game can be called the 1st and 2nd place final. We are far ahead of all time, but there are quite a lot of draws. Iraq is because it's a very strong, sticky team. So objectively, we are home and many things are good, but I think this will be the point of how to break through Iraq's very strong physical and strong defense.

[Anchor]
Anyway, with the victory over Jordan, coach Hong Myung-bo took a breather amid various controversies, and at the press conference, he said he would play the role of the coach regardless of this. Of course.How do you rate Ma?

[Moonsung Park]
As a coach now, of course, it is necessary to focus on the game. A Jordanian reporter had a psychological game ahead of the Jordan game. I heard there is a Korean soccer problem, what happened? They say it's corrupt. What's going on? That's quite the intention. From the director's point of view, he said so rather than counteracting it. It's out of the game and I'll focus on the game. I think that trend should go all the way to the Iraq game. I think the Iraq game is important, but if the opponent uses it very strongly defensively in that game, cards such as Lee Kang-in and Bae Jun-ho, who can penetrate the defense well, will be a very important force.

[Anchor]
Let's take a look at the controversy over the Korea Football Association. At the end of last month, FIFA sent a warning letter, which Minister Yoo In-chon said was a ceremonial one. I explained it like this. How should I look at it?

[Moonsung Park]
You may be worried. You have to be careful about that. But to summarize, FIFA's sanctioning is like this. This is when external forces unfairly interfere with the Korea Football Association. Unfair interference is like this. For example, taking full control of the Football Association. You have problems when you make laws to rule completely or you put people in your own hands. However, FIFA does not say anything to point out that FIFA can impose sanctions on unfair intervention, but there is injustice. Of course, if the KFA does something wrong, you can point out the injustice. Unfair intervention causes problems, but there seems to be no big problem with the criticism of injustice, so we have to wait and see, but I don't think it's a big problem for now.

[Anchor]
Is there a country that has been disciplined by FIFA for this similar situation?

[PARK MOON SUNG]
is here. For example, teams such as Kuwait and Indonesia are representative, but in the case of Kuwait, the government has created a law that allows them to intervene in the administration of the Korea Football Association on a daily basis. As I said before, you can't do this. Also, Indonesia blocked a country with a different religion from its own from coming in to participate in the competition. This was also a problem because it was an infringement of religious freedom. On the contrary, when France played the World Cup in 2010, the team's internal strife occurred similarly to ours, and there were problems between the coach and the players and the association, so we had a hearing like us at the time. However, the French president and lawmakers stepped forward and interfered in the internal affairs when FIFA said, "This should not be the case." Our French people love soccer so much, but there was a problem at the World Cup this time. The National Assembly, the representative organization of the people, said it would ask questions, but they objected to what FIFA said, and FIFA also agreed, so it ended without a problem.

[Anchor]
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it would conduct an audit regardless of the FIFA official letter, and the Korea Football Association continued to say that there have been no procedural problems. How will it be organized?

[Park Moon-sung]
It's moving in two places. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which has jurisdiction over the Korea Football Association, continues to conduct internal audits. I'm doing it until this month. Then, on the 22nd, the National Assembly will conduct a parliamentary audit of the Korea Football Association. Last time, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced only a part of the procedure for appointing a director. Continued internal audits and parliamentary audits are about the details of the soccer association's corporate card use and money. Next, there are various issues other than the issue of various administrative procedures and the appointment of supervisors, so I will look into all these issues. Depending on this result, the Korea Football Association may have more to deal with. I want to say that the pressure is getting bigger and bigger.

[Anchor]
We won the match against Jordan in the midst of the ongoing controversy. The national soccer team is scheduled to play against Iraq on the 15th. I'll look forward to it. It was with soccer commentator Park Moon-sung. Thank you for talking with me today.