19 Apr 2004 15:03 UTC
Portuguese-born Humberto Coelho announced his resignation Monday, after he reached agreement with the Korea Football Association to end his contract last week. Coelho took over the national team in March of 2003 from Dutch coach Guus Hiddink.
The Korea Football Association plans to hire a replacement by the end of next month. A spokeman says the committee believes a foreign coach with more international experience is needed for its national team.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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The coach of South Korea's national football (soccer) team has resigned, after coming under fire for the national team's poor performance in a World Cup qualifier last month.
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Hiddink led South Korea's astonishing run at the 2002 World Cup. South Korea, which co-hosted the sport's most prestigious event with Japan, became the first Asian team to reach the semifinals. Coelho's difficulties began during the Asian Cup soccer qualifiers late last year. South Korea managed to qualify for the tournament that begins in July, but fans were angered over the national team's 1-0 loss to Vietnam and 3-0 defeat by Oman. The criticism mounted when Korea only managed a draw against the lightly regarded Maldives in a qualifier last month.
