Ex-footballer under fire for criticizing nat’l body preaches patience on new men’s coach

Former South Korea international Park Joo-ho, facing legal threat from the Korea Football Association (KFA) for his recent criticism, said Thursday he will keep an eye on the new head coach of the men's national team before making an "objective assessment." While attending a corporate event involving the Korea Professional Football League in Seoul, Park spoke with reporters for the first time since releasing a YouTube video last week in which he blasted the KFA for its problematic hiring of Hong Myung-bo as the new men's boss. Park served on the KFA's National Teams Committee, which was responsible for the hiring process, and said the five months he'd spent there all went for naught because the KFA disregarded proper vetting procedures. Park also accused fellow committee members of lacking professionalism and knowledge. "I think we'll need to see how the national team does from now on and make an objective assessment," Park said, when asked about Hong's squad. "If they had gone through proper steps, we wou ldn't have had this sort of problem." The KFA immediately threatened legal action against Park and charged that he had breached terms of the non-disclosure agreement he'd signed in February. Other former players, including ex-national team captain Park Ji-sung, joined Park Joo-ho in taking shots at the KFA. Hong himself said he respected Park's opinions and it was healthy for South Korean football to allow different voices to be heard. "I think they all feel the same way," Park Joo-ho said of those who offered him their support. "If the KFA became more systematic in order to further develop Korean football, then it will end up being a much better organization." Asked why he decided to openly criticize the KFA, Park said, "I felt it would help the development of Korean football if I shared what had happened inside the committee over the past five months." "There was no fairness or transparency. It was a quite complicated situation," Park added. "There needs to be a better structured system." Park said he had heard from an acquaintance working at the KFA after his video went viral but added, "I have not received any official contact from the KFA." Source: Yonhap News Agency