Moreno tries to deal with uncertainty in Korean football

Robert Moreno, Korea’s interim national football coach, faces uncertainty over his future and the Asian Cup as he prepares for two November friendlies in Doha. Korea has won two, lost one and drawn one of his first four matches, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar still to come. Reports of tension between three senior players and captain Son Heung-min have added to the pressure, though Moreno said all four were selected. The Asian Cup, scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 7, could be postponed amid security concerns.

Moreno, a 49-year-old former Spain coach, was appointed through the end of November to oversee six matches.

Korea beat Ecuador 3-0, lost to Uruguay 4-1, drew 0-0 with Venezuela and defeated Uzbekistan 2-0 on Oct. 6.

Korea is scheduled to play Saudi Arabia on Nov. 13 and Qatar four days later, with both matches set to take place in Qatar.

Hwang In-beom, Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan, all born in 1996, were reported to be unhappy and to have requested a change in leadership that includes Son Heung-min.

Korea is seeking its first Asian Cup title since 1960. The tournament is scheduled to start in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 7, but the article says it may be postponed.

Published Oct 30, 2026 11:39 am KST

Updated Oct 30, 2026 11:43 am KST

Robert Moreno, interim coach of the Korean men's national football team, speaks during a press conference announcing the roster for November friendly matches in the Middle East at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday. Yonhap

Robert Moreno has had quite an introduction to Korean football. When interviewing for the national team job in the summer after the disaster of the World Cup, he apparently impressed Korea FA officials with his knowledge of the subject. Nothing, however, can prepare you for reality.

The 49-year-old former coach of Spain was given the job until the end of November, a period that includes six games. Four have been played already, and results were mixed. There was a 3-0 win over Ecuador, a 4-1 loss to Uruguay, a goalless draw with Venezuela and then, on Oct. 6, a 2-0 victory against Uzbekistan.

Performances were, however, encouraging in the sense that tactically, there were some positive signs, and a sense that after the perceived passiveness of Hong Myung-bo at the World Cup, he was a coach who looked to make things happen during games.

Now, there are two left. On Nov. 13, the Taeguk Warriors will take on Saudi Arabia and then, four days later, will face Qatar. Both games will take place in Qatar as there are security concerns around Saudi Arabia at the moment, with the country coming under attack from the Yemen-based Houthis.

This means that the Asian Cup, which is due to kick off on Jan. 7, in Saudi Arabia, is under threat of postponement. If so (and a decision may come before the games in Doha), then Moreno could be left in limbo with no tournament to prepare for. It has been assumed that his contract will be extended to cover the Asian Cup, but if the tournament takes place in 2028, it raises questions over his future with the team.

That is not his immediate concern, however. There are reports of disunity in the camp. Seoul media has produced numerous articles claiming that three senior players — Hwang In-beom of FC Porto, Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan of Schalke 04 in Germany — are unhappy. This trio, all born in 1996, have allegedly requested a change of leadership that includes captain Son Heung-min.

It had been speculated that the four would not play together again, but in a press conference earlier this week, Moreno said that they had all been included. “We have decided that they deserve to be on the team based on their current level of performance and they are prepared to make sacrifices for the national team," he said.

He added that there had been conversations, but was not about to talk publicly about what had been said. “The players also understand that their privacy will be protected …Whatever needs to be said about a certain player, I will speak directly with that player," Moreno said. "And that is how trust builds within the team, and that is the least I can do to show my respect for this position as head coach of the national team."

It is the only stance he could have taken but there is going to be a lot of focus on the so-called ‘Group of 1996’ and their interactions with Son and the coach in the coming games.

All this is a distraction that Moreno does not need as he prepares for two games that could be vital preparation for the Asian Cup, a tournament that Korea is looking to win for the first time since 1960. But then, it may not take place at all. This is the situation the interim coach finds himself in. Whatever happens, it has already been quite the education.

韩国国家足球队临时主教练罗伯特·莫雷诺面临着未来和亚洲杯前景的不确定性，他正率队备战11月在多哈举行的两场友谊赛。莫雷诺执教的前四场比赛中，韩国队取得两胜一负一平的战绩，接下来还将迎战沙特阿拉伯和卡塔尔。有报道称，三名主力球员与队长孙兴慜之间存在矛盾，这无疑加剧了莫雷诺的压力，但他表示这四名球员都已入选国家队。原定于1​​月7日在沙特阿拉伯开幕的亚洲杯可能因安全问题而被推迟。

现年 49 岁的前西班牙国家队主教练莫雷诺被任命为球队主教练，任期至 11 月底，负责监督六场比赛。

10月6日，韩国队以3-0战胜厄瓜多尔，1-4负于乌拉圭，与委内瑞拉0-0战平，并以2-0战胜乌兹别克斯坦。

韩国队将于11月13日对阵沙特阿拉伯队，四天后对阵卡塔尔队，两场比赛都将在卡塔尔举行。

据报道，1996 年出生的黄仁范、金珉载和黄熙灿对现状不满，并要求更换包括孙兴慜在内的领导层。

韩国正力争自1960年以来首次夺得亚洲杯冠军。该赛事原定于1月7日在沙特阿拉伯开幕，但文章称比赛可能会延期。

发布于2026年10月30日上午11:39（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月30日上午11:43（韩国标准时间）

韩国男足国家队临时主教练罗伯特·莫雷诺周四在忠清南道天安市韩国足球公园举行的新闻发布会上宣布了球队参加11月中东友谊赛的名单。（韩联社）

罗伯特·莫雷诺对韩国足球的了解可谓相当深入。在世界杯惨败后的那个夏天，他去面试国家队主教练一职，显然他对韩国足球的了解给韩国足协官员留下了深刻的印象。然而，现实远比想象中残酷。

这位49岁的前西班牙国家队主教练受聘执教至11月底，期间共需带领球队征战六场比赛。目前已进行了四场，战绩喜忧参半。他们先是3-0战胜厄瓜多尔，随后1-4负于乌拉圭，与委内瑞拉0-0战平，并在10月6日2-0战胜乌兹别克斯坦。

然而，从战术角度来看，球队的表现令人鼓舞，出现了一些积极的迹象，而且人们感觉，在世界杯上洪明甫被认为过于被动之后，他是一位在比赛中力求有所作为的教练。

现在还剩下两场比赛。11月13日，太极虎队将迎战沙特阿拉伯队，四天后，他们将对阵卡塔尔队。由于沙特阿拉伯目前安全形势严峻，正遭受也门胡塞武装的袭击，这两场比赛都将在卡塔尔举行。

这意味着原定于1月7日在沙特阿拉伯开幕的亚洲杯面临延期的风险。如果延期（而且最终决定可能在多哈比赛开始前做出），莫雷诺可能会陷入无所事事的境地，没有比赛可备。此前人们普遍认为他的合同将会延长至亚洲杯结束，但如果该赛事推迟到2028年举行，那么他在球队的未来将充满变数。

然而，这并非他眼下最关心的问题。有报道称，队内出现了分裂。首尔媒体发表了多篇文章，声称三位资深球员——波尔图的黄仁范、拜仁慕尼黑的金珉载以及沙尔克04的黄喜灿——心怀不满。这三位1996年出生的球员据称要求更换包括队长孙兴慜在内的领导层。

此前有传言称这四名球员将不会再次并肩作战，但莫雷诺在本周早些时候的新闻发布会上表示，他们四人均已入选。“根据他们目前的表现水平，我们认为他们理应入选国家队，而且他们也愿意为国家队做出牺牲。”他说道。

他补充说，双方确实有过沟通，但他不打算公开谈论沟通内容。“球员们也明白他们的隐私会得到保护……如果有什么关于某个球员的事情需要说明，我会直接和该球员沟通，”莫雷诺说道。“这样才能在球队内部建立信任，这也是我作为国家队主教练所能做的最起码的事情，以表达我对这个职位的尊重。”

这是他唯一能采取的立场，但接下来的比赛中，人们的关注点将会集中在所谓的“1996年班底”以及他们与孙兴慜和教练的互动上。

所有这些都会分散莫雷诺的注意力，他正全力备战两场对韩国队备战亚洲杯至关重要的比赛。韩国队渴望自1960年以来首次赢得亚洲杯冠军。然而，亚洲杯最终能否举办也未可知。这就是这位临时主教练目前面临的困境。无论结果如何，这都已是一次宝贵的学习经历。