Hiddink: KFA Once Interfered in Player Selection—I Rejected Their Recommendations

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster SBS, Guus Hiddink, who led the South Korean team to the World Cup semi-finals, revealed that he had disagreements with the Korean Football Association (KFA) over player selection. Despite this, Hiddink, who believed in fair competition between starters and substitutes, managed to lead the team to a historic achievement.

Prior to the 2002 World Cup, Hiddink surprisingly excluded Hong Myung-bo, then the team’s undisputed core player, from the squad and instead opted for younger players like Park Ji-sung. The KFA attempted to influence Hiddink’s player choices by recommending specific players ahead of the World Cup warm-up matches, effectively interfering with the head coach’s authority.

Hiddink stated, “We occasionally had differing opinions. The association would suggest lists of players they deemed suitable, but I rejected them. I had my own approach to selecting players.”

The KFA’s trust in Hiddink was shaken after the team suffered heavy defeats against France and the Czech Republic. Both fans and the association began to doubt Hiddink. However, he persisted in his player selection process until the very last moment before finalizing the World Cup roster.

Hiddink’s trusted player, Lee Yong-dae, shared some inside information: “The door to the national team was open to everyone, but no one could afford to let their guard down. In the past, there was a clear distinction between starters and substitutes, but under Hiddink, starters were not guaranteed their positions forever, and substitutes could become starters. This motivated everyone to train hard and stay competitive.”

In addition to sticking to his own player selection methods, Hiddink also tried to break the tradition in Korean football where newcomers must show utmost respect to their seniors. However, this practice still persists in Korean football to this day.