Robert Moreno hired as interim head coach as South Korea aims for calm after a turbulent summer

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Robert Moreno has been appointed as South Korea’s interim head coach after a turbulent summer for the men’s national team.

The Korea Football Association on Tuesday said Moreno, a former Spain coach, will take charge for six matches across the September and November international windows and indicated the contract could be extended through the 2027 Asian Cup in January.

“Moreno impressed us with his thorough understanding of Korean football and his ability to propose a wide range of tactical alternatives,” KFA National Teams Committee chief Hyun Young-min said. “We hope he and his new staff will help improve our national team’s performance.”

Moreno guided Spain in 2019, and has since managed AS Monaco, Granada and, most recently, Russian club Sochi, where his tenure ended in August of last year.

The KFA said one of Moreno’s key tasks is to “change the mood of the national team.” The head coach role has been vacant since Hong Myung-bo quit in late June following South Korea’s group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup.

Public anger over Hong’s 2024 appointment intensified over the summer, leading both Hong and then-KFA president Chung Mong-gyu to step down. Both were later questioned at a parliamentary hearing in July.

Moreno’s first game will be against Ecuador on Sept. 24, in Suwon, just south of the capital Seoul.

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