South Korea hire former Spain boss Moreno as interim coach
South Korea has appointed former Spain manager Robert Moreno as interim coach following a series of controversies and a poor World Cup performance. Moreno will lead the team through upcoming friendlies and potentially the Asian Cup.
Why it matters
The appointment is a significant attempt to stabilize the national football program amid investigations into the football association's management.
South Korea's underfire football association on Tuesday (August 1, 2026) appointed former Spain boss Robert Moreno as interim coach, following a disastrous World Cup and series of damaging controversies.
Moreno, who was forced to deny earlier this year that he used ChatGPT to prepare for games during a stint in Russia, will be in charge for friendly games in September-October.
South Korea will compete in the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Moreno could lead the team at the Asian Cup, "subject to an evaluation" of his performance.
The team have been without a coach since Hong Myung-bo quit following their shock group-stage exit from the World Cup in North America in June.
Hong's departure did little to quell public outrage over the disappointing campaign and added fuel to pre-existing questions about how he was hired.
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