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Jürgen Klinsmann named South Korea's new head coach

February 27, 2023

The former German striker takes on his fifth coaching role and his first since a chaotic spell at Hertha Berlin. He is set to lead South Korea at the next World Cup in 2026.

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Jürgen Klinsmann Porträt
Image: Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images

South Korea's football association on Monday appointed Jürgen Klinsmann as it's new national team head coach.

Klinsmann, 58, will arrive in Seoul next week and be in charge when South Korea faces Colombia on March 24.

It will be the third national team appointment for the former German striker, who won the World Cup as a player in 1990. After retiring as a player in 1998, he coached Germany from 2004 to 2006 and the United States from 2011 to 2016. 

He also coached one season at Bayern Munich during the 2008-09 season, a stint that lasted only 10 months. His last coaching job was on an interim basis at Hertha Berlin, a disastrous 76-day tenure from November 2019 to January 2020 that ended in chaos.

The Korea Football Association said Monday that Klinsmann has signed a contract until the 2026 World Cup, set to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He replaces Paulo Bento, who stepped down after South Korea's defeat to Brazil in last year's World Cup in Qatar.

dv (AFP, Reuters)