The gap between Korean and Japanese soccer is widening. Japan is not a little ahead of the competition. Japan’s soccer is rapidly developing to a global level, but the gap is bound to widen as South Korea has been retreating on the contrary. The same is true of the national team’s performance, results, and administration of the Korea Football Association. The rivalry beyond geographical relationships is such a gap that it seems unreasonable.
The September A match sealed the assessment that Japan has begun to take a big lead over South Korea. 스포츠토토 South Korea, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, drew 0-0 in the away match against Wales and managed to win 1-0 in a neutral warm-up match against Saudi Arabia. It was Klinsmann’s first win in six games 1 win, 3 draws and 2 losses. Coach Klinsmann, who had been rumored to be replaced, managed to catch his breath, but there are still many criticisms about his performance.
During the same period, Japan gained worldwide attention. After a 4-1 victory in the away match against Germany, he also won a 4-2 victory in the neutral warm-up match against Turkye. In particular, in the match against Turkey, even after changing as many as 10 players compared to the starting list against Germany, he attacked again. There was a lot of favorable reviews about Japanese soccer. The German kicker said, It was a game that I had no choice but to praise Japanese football, even in the nightmare of his country’s 1-4 defeat. Germany’s coach Hanji Flick, who was replaced after the crushing defeat, also said, “We have to admit that Japan is a good team.
In June, there was also a clear gap, albeit indirectly. After South Korea lost 0-1 to Peru, Japan defeated Peru 4-1. El Salvador, where South Korea drew 1-1, became Japan’s 6-0 great sacrifice. While Japan recently scored 18 goals in four consecutive A matches, South Korea scored only two goals with one win, two draws and one loss. Japan is the only country in Asia that has booked its entry into the top 10 in the FIFA rankings.
After reaching the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup side by side, the mixed moves seem to have widened the gap. South Korea broke up with head coach Paulo Bento, while Japan continued to accompany head coach Hajime Moriyasu. Coach Moriyasu has been developing his competitiveness by leading the national team for five years since 2018. On the other hand, Klinsmann, who was selected by the Korea Football Association to replace Bento, has not even shown a direction for six games since his inauguration. It is even under intense criticism as it has been embroiled in various controversies.
On top of that, the difference in administrative power between the two countries’ soccer associations is accelerating the pace of the gap widening. Aside from pathetic domestic administration, such as amnesty controversy, the KFA is far behind Japan in catching the most basic warm-up opponents. There was a big difference from the warm-up match in September, and while Japan invited North, Central and South Korea early in October, South Korea will play a warm-up match against the Southeast Asian team Vietnam for the first time in 32 years.
In addition, Japan has set up an office in Düsseldorf, Germany, to support European players. Thanks to this, out of the 26 players called up for the A match in September, the number of European players alone has increased to 21. On the other hand, the reality is that coach Klinsmann continues to travel abroad in the name of meaningless European observation, and KFA has not even responded.
What is even more bitter is that there is not much hope that Korean football will change at the moment. This is because he is not a responsible head coach to look forward to the development of the national team, and there are no leaders or members who can lead the change in the KFA organization. There are concerns that the level of Korean football itself will be lowered beyond the widening gap with Japan. This is the bitter current state of Korean soccer.