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Jurgen Klinsmann named coach of South Korea

SEOUL – Jurgen Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player and led Germany to the semi-finals as coach, has been appointed head coach of South Korea, the country’s football body said on Monday.

“The contract term with Klinsmann is from March to 2026,” the Korea Football Association said in a statement, adding that the German will arrive in Seoul next week and be in charge for a friendly against Colombia on March 24.

The 58-year-old succeeds Paulo Bento, who took the Koreans to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten 4-1 by Brazil.

“I know that the Korean national team has been improving and achieving results over a long period of time,” Klinsmann said in a statement.

“I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of the great coaches who have led the Korean national team, from Gus Hiddink to my predecessor, Paulo Bento.

“I look forward to doing my utmost to help the team achieve success at the upcoming Asian Cup and the 2026 World Cup.”

Klinsmann had a long and decorated career as a striker, playing for Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.

He scored 47 goals in 108 appearances for Germany.

In 2004, Klinsmann succeeded former strike partner Rudi Voller as coach of the German national team, his first position in management.

He led Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup on home soil, before taking over at Bayern and then the United States, whom he led to the Concacaf Gold Cup title in 2013 and was named the Concacaf Coach of the Year.

He was most recently at Hertha Berlin, where he quit after 10 weeks. - AFP

WORLD CUP 2026South KoreaGermany