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South Korean football coach headed for Russia
Dick Advocaat, the outgoing coach of South Korea’s national football team, advised the national squad to play world-class teams to see their capacity develop to a higher level. He also advised them to help build an infrastructure in which young soccer hopefuls can receive proper training. Often called "the shadow of Guus Hiddink," who led the South Korean squad to the semifinals in the 2002 World Cup, Advocaat resigned as head coach on Tuesday. The resignation comes after nine months at the helm of South Korea’s squad, which failed last week to advance to the second round of the World Cup games being held in Germany.Advocaat was named to lead the South Korean team September last year, replacing Jo Bonfrere, who lost trust from the media and even soccer fans for his lack of his charisma in leading the team and a series of poor performances in preparation matches for the World Cup. "If you play against the world’s top-level teams and if you play in a lot of competitions, you can improve. Otherwise, you will be always behind," Advocaat told reporters in his final press conference. The 59-year-old Dutch coach also highlighted the importance of building an infrastructure, such as well-equipped playing grounds and well-educated trainers, in order to produce world-class players. His contract expired after the Korean team dropped out of the ongoing World Cup finals in Germany. South Korea ended its World Cup campaign on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to Switzerland, coming in third in Group G of the finals, one slot away from advancing to the semifinals. Though the team failed to advance, Advocaat is credited with his role in the South Korean squad nabbing their first victory in an overseas match, when they beat Togo 2-1. Advocaat left for Russia to lead one of its professional teams. The Korea Football Association announced Monday that assistant coach Pim Verbeek will succeed Advocaat for two years as the new coach.
