Uli Stielike's job as the South Korean men's national football head coach is safe, despite a stunning loss to China in a World Cup qualifier, the sport's top national official said Friday.
Chung Mong-gyu, head of the Korea Football Association, returned home with the rest of the team from Changsha, Hunan Province, early Friday morning on a red-eye flight, after South Korea suffered a 1-0 defeat to China in the final round of the Asian qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Uli Stielike, head coach of the South Korean men's football team, arrives at Incheon International Airport on March 24, 2017, a day after a 1-0 loss to China in a World Cup qualifier in Changsha, Hunan Province. (Yonhap)
Though South Korea are still in second place in Group A, in position for an automatic World Cup berth, the result put Stielike on the hot seat. Chung insisted, however, the German coach isn't going anywhere.
"We didn't play such a bad match," Chung told reporters at Incheon International Airport. "We had a few chances in the second half but just couldn't convert them. The players did the best they could under the circumstances. We haven't lost hopes of qualifying for the World Cup and talks of a coaching change (are premature)."
It was only South Korea's second loss to China in 32 meetings.
South Korea entered the match ranked 40th in the world, 46 spots above China.
South Korea are sitting at 10 points on three wins, one draw and two losses, four points behind Group A leaders, Iran. Only the top two nations earn automatic berths to the 2018 World Cup, and Uzbekistan are only one point back of South Korea.
South Korea will next face 95th-ranked Syria in Seoul on Tuesday, and it's far from a guaranteed win for South Korea. Their previous meeting in September ended in a scoreless draw.
Chung said he doesn't have a Plan B on the coaching end if South Korea fall to Syria next week.
"We just have to watch and let these players have a strong game (Tuesday)," the KFA boss added.
Stielike's job security was also in jeopardy last fall after a string of subpar matches to start the final World Cup qualifying campaign. South Korea nearly blew a three-goal lead before edging out China 3-2 in September and then were held to a 0-0 draw by Syria before losing to Iran 1-0.
Stielike dodged a bullet with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan in November but another loss Thursday put him back on shaky ground.
Incidentally, Stielike, who was hired in September 2014, became the longest-tenured South Korea men's football head coach Friday, having served on the job for two years and 182 days. He surpassed Huh Jung-moo, who led South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup.
Stielike and the players left the airport without speaking to the media. Their press conference is scheduled for Friday afternoon at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul. (Yonhap)
