footballing commentary

ji-sung park (the asian-looking fellow in the red strip): korea's sporting hero of the moment

i really do like korea. i have a wife who's korean, my in-laws are all 100% korean, my children will be half-korean, i have many friends (and some adopted family members) who are all korean, i've voluntarily chosen to live in korea for most of the past 7 years, i miss korea on the three occasions i've chosen, since 1998, to live elsewhere in the world, i fully support a united korea and hope to see its fruition before i get too old, and i admire how korea has pulled itself from the quagmire of last century's occupation by japan, the near-total destruction of its land in the korean war, the political atrocities of the '70s and '80s, and the economic crash of the late '90s. a stauncher supporter of korea you may not find in one not native to this country.

however, with such a level of caring comes a self-given license to bitch and criticise, to ridicule and admonish, to strive for improvement and tolerance whilst hatcheting continued racism and xenophobia. korea is certainly a place full of racism and xenophobia, but, then, there aren't many countries who aren't guilty of such ludicrosity.

today's gleeb involves slagging koreans' penchant for insecurity and myopia, especially surrounding their sports stars and the national football team.

these are paradoxical times to be a korean footballer, footballing fan, and football supporter. on one hand, we have the continued global emergence of korean footballers as they make their ways into the largest and most popular football leagues in the world (and this, following a near-decade in koreans' having made their impact in america's pastime, baseball, though mostly only as pitchers and not as everyday players, hee-seop choi aside): at england's top level, the premiership (ji-sung park arguably the world's biggest club, manchester united); at england's second level, the championship (gi-hyeon seol, wolverhampton); in germany at the highest level (du-ri cha, frankfurt); in holland's top division, for now (young-pyo lee, psv eindhoven); and in france's ligue 1 (jung-hwan ahn, metz). these are amazing sights to see for korea's football-mad citizens and the future is potentially bright with a lot of youngsters who have grown up to see in the past eight years continued progress on the international stage, culminating in their 2002 world cup's top 4 finish.

if only the footballing mob that is korea's supporters don't undermine it all in the very near future.

koreans continually measure themselves in all manners of life against nations, most specifically against japan. however, it doesn't stop there. a country with the unfortunate distinction of being between two of the most homogeneous, xenophobic, and militaristic countries in asia's long history is going to be short on security, pregnant with myopia, and long on fighting spirit. when even a modicum of success is established on the international stage, koreans back that team or individual to the very core of their souls. newspapers flash headlines, nightly television coverage is a fight to see which broadcasting station gets the better scoop, and, now, with the advent of online hookup, chat rooms the nation over are aflood with all matter of conversational fodder regarding said team or individual. the "mob mentality" for which koreans are not so flatteringly known is unleashed in its full force and the results, when positive, are amazing and inspiring, and, when negative, are as ugly a side of a culture as one can witness.

the mob mentality was on special show during the aforementioned 2002 world cup. "be the reds" fever swept the country like water through an arid sponge languishing in desert heat. millions of people the country over in dozens and dozens of cities and towns swayed, danced, sang, chanted, and cheered in the streets as their heroes knocked over like dominoes some of the largest names in international football. it was pure magic to behold, it was intoxicating for the soul to participate in, it was enthralling to relive it moment by moment as soon as each game ended, and it was beguiling to watch international football pundits marvel at the heady fever of a nation fully behind its team and coach. korea made the semifinals, one of the last four remaining teams at the 2002 showcase and koreans were giddy.

"we are here and look who's not!"

the list of luminary countries left in their wake, sitting at home watching korea in the semis take on germany was staggering: spain, italy, england, argentina, france, among others. and koreans weren't about to forget that their two biggest rivals--china and, most especially, japan--though not big international football powers, were also at home on the sofa watching the "taeguk warriors" on the tube just like billions of regular people. it was giddy times, to be sure.

unfortunately, the mob mentality does have a more sinister side to its personality--and it is showing its nastiness these days, specifically in regards to its current coach, jo bonfrere, on whose future the korean football association will vote tomorrow.

with all the latent success those guys savored in 2002 came an overwhelming amount of unwarranted pressure to maintain that superior level of footballing prosperity. the mob mentality that is the korean public began to think that theirs was a footballing country of extraordinary distinction with an unmatched tradition, that just showing up at world cup qualifiers or at last year's asia championships would send the other asian teams into paroxyms of fear, that their beloved "reds" could just stroll langorously and ambivalently through another campaign and into the 2006 world cup as if they have a permanent seat on the footballing security council.

if a coach doesn't win games in flamboyant style, attacking and crushing opponents like so many squirming maggots, then he must go! if he's not gregarious and engaging with the media, if he's dour and committed only to winning and trying new players, formations, and strategies, and not to kissing the collective asses of the fans, media, and aged veterans, then he's not fit to coach this national side! if he doesn't play the stars of the 2002 run, many of whom are still riding the very shabby threads of those outdated coattails, then he needs to be banished from the peninsula forever!

excuse me, but korea's qualified for next year's world cup, hasn't it? what else is to be expected from a coach? isn't making the final 32 the reason every coach is hired by every nation in the footballing world? lose some games to opponents in a unnecessary "east asian" tournament (perhaps i'm mistaken, but i don't recall there being any "northwest european" tournament or a "sub-saharan african" tournament, or a "central south american but no countries through which the amazon river flows" tournament or any other ridiculous intra-continental tournaments that are just a waste of time) and the coach is on tenuous ground? lose a basically meaningless final world cup qualifying game and he needs to hit the road? and each of these aforementioned games and tournaments were without the strongest squad available to the gaffer, yet his fate is being decided tomorrow based on the fact that over 90% of the dumbasses on web sites and in chat rooms around the country think he needs to be axed? sure, there are things to be worked, revampments need to be made in some obvious areas, conditioning and morale need to be improved, yes, of course. and trashing your gaffer and having to find a third one in less than 18 months is not the road to travel--and less than ten months before the world cup kicks off, no less. sack bonfrere and korea become a laughingstock of the footballing world. what top-flight manager will want to come here to guide a team when he'll be the third one in a year and a half? and hiring a korean manager is out of the question, apart from bum-geun cha. no korean has the credentials to lead this team into next year's finals, save for cha.

relax, korea. you're in the world cup for the sixth straight time, extending your own asian record. give bonfrere a chance--it's a long time until june 9, 2006--to make amends, mold changes, reshape the squad, and put something of which to be proud on the pitch. don't let your mob mentality ruin a good thing and turn your country into the laughingstock of the footballing world, to be known as a black hole for coaches, because such events will turn the clock back on korea's progress and the korean national team will end up in 2010 like china is next year: in a pub with their mates, slinging back soju and watching it on the telly like the rest of us.

don't forget, you revisionists, there are many of us still around who laugh at the hypocrisy you showed guus hiddink: five months before the 2002 tournament, you were ready to slit his throat because of unsatisfactory results; before the tournament ended, you were lined up, 48 million strong, ready to kiss his ass and anoint him as the second coming of king sejong or admiral yi.