Under-fire South Korean football body hires ex-Spain boss Robert Moreno as interim coach

The Spaniard will be in charge for friendly games in September-October with a view to taking the team to January’s Asian Cup

South Korea’s beleaguered football association on Tuesday 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 during a stint in Russia that he used ChatGPT to prepare for games, 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.