"We chose three candidates based on various requirements. All of them are foreign nationals,“ Lee said at a news conference, after presiding over the committee’s first meeting since his inauguration last week. The two-day meeting ended earlier in the day at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, north of Seoul.
Lee, however, refused to disclose the names of those candidates.
Committee members reviewed 17 South Korean and 30 foreign candidates based on eight criteria, including whether they coached teams at continental competitions, such as the Asian Cup and the European Championship; whether they led teams in the regional qualifying rounds for the FIFA World Cup finals; and whether they guided a national football squad to the round of 16 of a World Cup or more, according to Lee.
The KFA, the country’s football governing body, will begin full-fledged negotiations with the three candidates next week, he said.
Lee said the new coach will lead the national football team until the end of Asian qualifying rounds in 2017 for the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.
The post of South Korean head coach was vacated when Hong Myung-bo resigned on July 10 in the wake of the country’s early exit from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
South Korea failed to advance to the round of 16 in Brazil as it went winless – two losses and a draw - in Group H preliminary matches, its worst World Cup performance since 1998.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
