Director Byun Hyung-hwan humiliated by ‘Failed Out’ “Responsibility for the Results To Me…”The players must have grown up”

Byun Sung-hwan, head coach of the South Korea U-17 national team, put all the blame on himself after the team was eliminated from the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 1-2 loss in their final Group E match against Burkina Faso at the Jalan Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia, on Monday (June 18).레모나토토

Before traveling to Indonesia, Byun had set his sights on the quarterfinals, the highest finish in his career. However, he realized the high barrier of the world stage from the group stage and ended up with a humiliating ‘all-out elimination’. It was the first time in 16 years since 2007 that the team had been eliminated in the group stage of the tournament, and the first time in history that the team had been eliminated in a single game.

In particular, Byun Sung-hwan vowed to play “aggressive soccer” as he set his sights on the quarterfinals or higher. Even against a global powerhouse, he vowed to play proactive soccer, chanting “Dakgong” (shut up and attack), which means moving forward instead of backward. However, after three games, they scored just two goals and conceded six, leaving them with a dismal record. It was a reckless challenge that came to an end.

“It’s unfortunate because I don’t think we showed what we were prepared for in all three games,” Byun said, “Of course, this result can be called a failure. However, the failure of this tournament is not the failure of our players. It’s my failure as a coach and I’m responsible for the results.”

When asked if the result was more important than the development of the players, Byun said, “I don’t think so. If we were only thinking about the result, we would not have tried to play attacking soccer with short passes and would have chosen to play from the back,” he said. “Of course, if we played good soccer and followed the result, it would have had a more positive effect on the players’ growth, but I think the experience of preparing for this soccer for a long time and facing strong teams with this soccer on the world stage will have a positive effect on the players’ growth.”

When asked about his plans for the future, Byun said, “I am responsible for the outcome of this tournament. I believe our players are good enough to grow into better players,” he said. “I learned a lot as a coach through this tournament, and I will do my best to become a better coach and contribute more to the development of Korean soccer.”