Thousands of South Korea supporters have launched an online petition demanding the dismissal of head coach Hong Myung-bo after the team suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The backlash was sparked by Hong's controversial decision to leave captain Son Heung-min out of the starting line-up, a move many fans blamed for the disappointing result that has put South Korea's World Cup campaign in jeopardy.
Petition gains momentum
The petition, which quickly gathered thousands of signatures within hours, accused the Korea Football Association (KFA) of ignoring proper selection processes. It read: 'The Korea Football Association's official selection process was effectively ignored, making it difficult to avoid criticism that the appointment was fundamentally illegitimate.' It continued: 'Despite fielding what many considered the strongest squad in Korea's World Cup history, the team finished with one win and two losses, placing third in the group. The performance against South Africa was so lifeless that it could be regarded as one of the worst displays by a Korean team in World Cup history.'
Son Heung-min benched
South Africa secured a famous victory thanks to a second-half goal, while South Korea struggled to create chances for much of the match. Son, one of the country's greatest-ever footballers, was introduced at the start of the second half but was unable to inspire a comeback. Fans argued that leaving Son on the bench deprived the team of its most experienced leader and creative force at a critical moment. Many supporters described the selection decision as 'unacceptable' and 'inexcusable,' insisting that South Korea should never enter a must-win World Cup match without one of the world's most accomplished forwards in the starting XI.
Hong accepts responsibility
Hong himself, who many believe would not have stayed beyond the end of this campaign, accepted 'full responsibility' in the wake of the defeat. 'In terms of the process and preparing for this game, and how we would play on the field, that is something I put much thought into,' said the former South Korea captain, who led the team to its famous semifinal finish in 2002 during his playing days. 'Of course, if we knew what the result was going to be, I probably would have made different choices. But I had a strategy in mind. Whenever such a bad result happens, everyone has their own opinion. The result is really the responsibility of the head coach. Ultimately, it comes down to my hands. I guess I made the wrong decisions, and that was the reason we had a bad result. Nothing more, nothing less.'
Hong explains Son's exclusion
As for his decision-making behind the exclusion of Son, Hong argued that he believed in the build-up to the match that the 33-year-old would be most ruthless when deployed against a tiring South African side. 'We thought that Son would be better placed (to make an impact) when the opponents were losing their energy, not when they had a lot of energy,' Hong added. 'And when there were more spaces to exploit between the opponents' defensive line, that's when we wanted Son to be at his strongest - when the opponents were a bit weaker.' However, Son was brought on at the start of the second half, right after both teams had benefited from a break, and he had little impact on the game.
Reforms demanded
Aside from Hong's removal, the petition also urged sweeping reforms to the governance of the Korea Football Association. The defeat leaves South Korea's World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, with the team now needing other results to go their way to advance to the knockout stages.
