AFC Asian Cup: angry South Korea boss Klinsmann says he won’t resign despite team’s semi-final defeat to Jordan
- Jurgen Klinsmann says he accepts responsibility for loss, but is now focused on country’s World Cup qualifying campaign
- Fans blast coach on social media for smiling at the end of game when he congratulated opposite number Lhoussaine Ammouta
Jurgen Klinsmann said he would not resign as South Korea boss despite accepting responsibility for his side’s failure to break a 64-year Asian Cup drought.
South Korea were dumped out of the competition in Qatar on Tuesday by Jordan, who won the semi-final 2-0 and await the winner’s of Wednesday match between Iran and the defending champion hosts.
Second half goals from Yazan Al Naimat and Mousa Al Tamari where enough to sink Son Heung-min and company at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, meaning South Korea’s barren run with extend to 2027 at least, when the tournament is held in Saudi Arabia.
“A coach is always responsible for how a tournament goes for a team. Our goal was to go to the final and we didn’t get to the final,” Klinsmann said.
“I’m planning to analyse this tournament, go with the team back to Korea and then talk with the federation about what was good and what was not so good.
“There is a team that is growing, but we still have to develop towards the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada in the next 2½ years. We have a difficult qualifying campaign so there is a lot of work ahead of us and other than that I’m not thinking about anything.”
