World Cup boss under fire as angry fans petition for sacking | Football | Sport

Their World Cup journey started promisingly with victory over the Czech Republic, but subsequent losses to host nation Mexico and South Africa dashed their hopes of automatic progression to the knockout phase. Their tournament remains alive for now because, at the time of writing, they sit sixth in the third-place standings. However, with just three points on the board and numerous fixtures still to play, they require several results to fall in their favour. The nation’s supporters are acutely aware of this reality.

A petition has been launched calling for Myung-Bo’s immediate removal from his post. It stated: “The Korea Football Association’s official selection process was effectively ignored, making it difficult to avoid criticism that the appointment was fundamentally illegitimate.

“Despite fielding what many considered the strongest squad in Korea’s World Cup history, the team finished with one win and two losses, placing third in the group.

“The performance against South Africa was so lifeless that it could be regarded as one of the worst displays by a Korean team in World Cup history.”

The petition also called for sweeping reforms within the South Korea Football Association, urging the National Assembly’s budgetary authority to assume greater administrative oversight of the organisation.

It added: “The arbitrary appointment of a head coach by a particular individual while bypassing official bodies such as the National Team Strengthening Committee must be strictly prohibited. The only way to prevent the privatization of the football association is through the power of an institutional system.”

The petition could be granted an initial review by the National Assembly having already secured the 100 endorsements required to trigger the process. Lawmakers are currently deliberating over whether to make the petition public.

Should they proceed, and more than 50,000 signatures are gathered within 30 days of publication, the matter will be referred to a national standing committee for further scrutiny. Following their potentially tournament-ending defeat to South Africa, the South Korea manager appeared to concede that his side buckled under the weight of expectation.

He said: “The players seemed to carry a significant psychological burden to secure a win. The poor performance was likely due to a combination of psychological factors and environmental challenges like the extreme heat.”