Men's football head coach 'proud' of players for resolving differences

DOHA, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- Robert Moreno, caretaker boss for the men's national football team, said Thursday he was "proud" of his veterans for resolving their differences through heart-to-heart conversations and for allowing the team to move forward.

South Korea will play Saudi Arabia at 5:30 p.m. Friday (11:30 p.m. Friday in South Korea) at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha.

This will be the first match since three national team mainstays -- Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Min-jae -- reportedly threatened to retire from international play in the aftermath of a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. They were said to have been frustrated with the squad's leadership group, led by longtime captain Son Heung-min and his fellow 34-year-old Lee Jae-sung, though none of them called it quits.

Moreno selected all five principal figures for the November matches, saying they had all mended fences through long conversations and they deserved to be on the team given their level of play.

Then earlier Thursday, these five players issued a joint statement through the Korea Football Association (KFA), claiming they had put their differences behind them and they are now all chasing the common goal of rewarding loyal fans with strong performances on the pitch.

"I think it was a positive development that they sat down to talk about where the team should go from here," Moreno told reporters before a training session at Qatar University. "We have players of high character who always think of ways to make the national team better. I am proud of the players for having these conversations like the grown-ups they are."

Moreno said he has tried to do his part to help the players and put them in a position to deliver good results that can make fans back home happy.

His days with the national team may be numbered, though. The KFA hired him in early September on a temporary basis and his contract expires on Nov. 27. The KFA did give him an opportunity to stay on through the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, initially scheduled to kick off in January 2027, depending on South Korea's performances in Moreno's first six matches.

However, the AFC recently postponed the Asian Cup to December 2027, amid attacks on the host country by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The KFA may decide to let Moreno's contract run out this month and take its time finding a new, full-time head coach.

Moreno insisted the postponement of the tournament has not changed the way he approaches his job.

"I always tell myself and also my players that we should always try to concentrate on things that we can control in the moment," he said. "My future depends on what I do in the present. I am not really thinking about my future. A coach can always be dismissed after the next match, and so every match is important to me regardless. What I can do is to do my best to help the team and take my current position as head coach of this national team with a sense of pride."