"50 Times Better Than Brazil, Blame Me"... Hong Myung-bo Brings Up His Dark Past to Quell Rift Rumors [2026 FIFA World Cup]

The South Korea national football team, which lost to South Africa in the third Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is waiting for results from other groups to advance to the Round of 32, returned to its team base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 25th local time and held recovery training at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground. The South Korea national football team, which lost to South Africa in the third Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is waiting for results from other groups to advance to the Round of 32, returned to its team base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 25th local time and held recovery training at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground.
After watching a lifeless 1-0 defeat, public attention naturally shifted away from the pitch and toward alleged internal cracks within the national team. But the man at the edge of the cliff stood firm. He even brought up his own most painful dark chapter to confront the rumors of discord head-on.
Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the national football team, met with reporters just before a recovery session at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 26th Korea time, and laid out a clear position on the rumors surrounding the squad. The atmosphere around Hong's team is tense. Right after the South Africa match, defender Seol Young-woo drew public criticism after hinting at legal action against malicious commenters.
Separately, baseless claims also surfaced that Lee Kang-in had shown a poor attitude and was not fully committed. As the unity shown in the first two matches seemed to vanish in the third, suspicions that there might be serious factions or discord within the squad grew rapidly. Hong firmly rejected those claims, saying, "There are definitely no internal problems.
The South Korea national football team, which lost to South Africa in the third Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is waiting for results from other groups to advance to the Round of 32, returned to its team base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 25th local time and held recovery training at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground. The South Korea national football team, which lost to South Africa in the third Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is waiting for results from other groups to advance to the Round of 32, returned to its team base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 25th local time and held recovery training at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground.
" He added, "I am the type of person who reacts very sensitively to the mood inside a team and prepares thoroughly. It is true that the squad's atmosphere became somewhat unsettled after the Mexico match, but there is absolutely no serious internal issue that could be called a rift. " To calm the rumors of discord, he brought up a bitter memory from 12 years ago.
Hong said, "This is the quietest tournament I have ever experienced, both inside and outside the team. " He added, "Compared with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, when I was in charge, the atmosphere now is much better.
Back then, it was 50 times more difficult and chaotic than it is now," using a rather extreme comparison to emphasize the team's current unity. So why did the entire squad collapse like dominoes in the third match? Hong also spoke candidly about that point, saying, "We are just as bewildered.
" His diagnosis was that the problem was not discord, but pressure. The South Korea national football team, which lost to South Africa in the third Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is waiting for results from other groups to advance to the Round of 32, held recovery training at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 25th local time.
The South Korea national football team, which lost to South Africa in the third Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is waiting for results from other groups to advance to the Round of 32, returned to its team base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 25th local time and held recovery training at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground. The South Korea national football team, which lost to South Africa in the third Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is waiting for results from other groups to advance to the Round of 32, returned to its team base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 25th local time and held recovery training at the Chivas Valle Verde Training Ground.
That immense psychological pressure, combined with the hot weather, caused them to fall out of sync on the pitch. " At the end of the interview, Hong took all the criticism onto himself and acted as a sturdy shield for the players.
He said, "In football and in life, people tend to blame others when things do not go well. I also told the players, 'If the result is bad, frustrations may arise, but never blame your teammates.
Blame me, the coach. '" He added, "Kim Seung-gyu's mistake in the Mexico match should not be used to criticize the player.
Instead, I should be blamed for failing to prepare him for that situation. " The leader's heavy-hearted sincerity was aimed at blocking distorted rumors and protecting his players.
Football fans are now watching closely to see whether this tight unity can spark a turnaround on the Round of 32 stage, where a miracle may yet unfold.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter