Temporary coach wants to make people proud of nat'l football team

INCHEON, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- As he takes over a much-criticized South Korean men's national football team, temporary head coach Robert Moreno said Sunday he will try to make people proud of his squad.

The Spanish tactician and his staff arrived in South Korea on Sunday, a dozen days after the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced their appointment on an interim basis.

Moreno and his coaches are signed through Nov. 27 and will be in charge of South Korea's next six international friendlies. South Korea will host Ecuador on Sept. 24, Uruguay on Sept. 28, Venezuela on Oct. 2 and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. The KFA is also trying to schedule two more matches in November.

After Hong Myung-bo resigned at the end of June to take the fall for South Korea's group-stage exit at the FIFA World Cup, the KFA opted not to rush to hire a full-time replacement, with the next set of matches less than three months away. Instead, it went searching for someone to hold the fort temporarily and found their man in the 48-year-old Moreno, who once coached the Spanish men's national team and served as an assistant for FC Barcelona, among other stops.

"I have wanted the South Korean national team job for years. There was no reason not to apply for the position," Moreno told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, when asked if the short-term nature of his job gave him any reservation. "It is a huge honor for anyone to lead the South Korean national team."

Moreno said he has been watching past South Korean matches "every day since I was appointed" and has also been trying to learn about the Korean culture.

"Even though I am here on a temporary basis, I will try to mold the national team into a better squad," Moreno said. "I will try to bring the players together into one and make sure the people will feel proud of them."

After the six upcoming matches, South Korea will compete in the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January. The KFA said Moreno will be given a chance to stay on for the top Asian tournament, depending on South Korea's performances over the next two months.

Moreno said he will stay focused on the immediate task at hand, saying, "There are not that many matches coming up, but I will concentrate only on the national team."

As for South Korea's disappointing showing at the World Cup, Moreno said it was "a heartbreaking situation" for everyone involved.

"But we now have to move forward. That way, we will never forget about the past," he added. "I will make the South Korean national team a more proud unit."

Moreno will hold a press conference at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, some 80 kilometers south of Seoul, at 2 p.m. Monday to announce his squad for the Sept.-Oct. matches.