Shin gets nod as new South Korea coach

Seoul (AFP) – Former under-20 boss Shin Tae-Yong was given the task of rescuing South Korea’s teetering World Cup qualifying campaign when he was named as the country’s new national team boss on Tuesday.

Shin replaces Uli Stielike, 62, South Korea’s longest-serving coach, who was axed last month after a shock defeat to Qatar left them in danger of missing direct qualification to Russia 2018.

South Korea are seeking to reach their ninth consecutive World Cup, a run which includes making the semi-finals on home soil in 2002.

The Taeguk Warriors’ 3-2 defeat to Qatar — the first in 32 years against that country — followed earlier losses to China and Iran and left them clinging to the last direct qualifying spot in Group A with two games to go.

Shin, 46, is a former midfielder for Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Brisbane Roar, where he had a brief stint as assistant coach before graduating to become manager of the K-League Classic club in 2010.

He has a reputation as a troubleshooter and led the national U23s ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, after his predecessor left in 2015 with cancer.

Shin took the helm of South Korea’s U20 team last November after a series of defeats, and steered them to the quarter-finals of this year’s U20 World Cup on home soil.

“We believe that Shin would be able to boost morale among players quickly and lead them to win the remaining qualifying matches,” Kim Ho-Gon, the head of the Korean Football Association’s technical committee, told reporters.

“Having served in the national teams before, he knows the current team members very well and has excellent communication skills,” Kim said. 

Shin will lead the team through the 2018 World Cup if they qualify, Kim added.