Bento: "I Won't Take Two-Month Manager Post"... Interested in Permanent Head Coach Role

Korea Football Association Holds First Open Recruitment for National Team Manager

Bento Says "No to Short-Term Deal... Would Consider Permanent Role"

Paulo Bento, the former head coach who led the South Korean national football team to the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, has announced that he will not participate in the Korea Football Association's open recruitment for the position of interim national team manager. However, it has been reported that he remains interested in taking on the permanent head coach position for a long-term project, drawing attention to his future moves.

On August 1, JTBC reported that Bento stated, "Since this recruitment is for a two-month post, I will not be submitting an application."

The Korea Football Association began recruiting for the men's national football team interim manager on July 30. The coach selected in this round will lead the team for approximately two months, from September to November, and will be responsible for the team's friendly match schedule. The association plans to complete the appointment process by the end of August.

Bento took charge of the Korean national team in 2018 and led the squad for about four years and four months. He holds the record as the longest-serving foreign manager of the South Korean national football team, and showcased leadership focused on long-term player development and tactical organization. With consistent tactics, he systematically defined the roles of key players such as Son Heungmin, Kim Minjae, Hwang Inbeom, and Lee Kangin, and is credited with bringing significant changes to the team’s playing style.

Paulo Bento, former head coach of the South Korea national football team. Photo by Yonhap News

The results of his work became evident at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. After a 0-0 draw with Uruguay and a 2-3 loss to Ghana in the group stage, South Korea was on the brink of elimination. However, they defeated Portugal 2-1 in the final group match to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in 12 years. The team then lost 1-4 to Brazil in the Round of 16, closing out their World Cup campaign. After the tournament, Bento chose not to renew his contract and departed from the team.

While Bento has decided not to apply for the interim managerial role, he reportedly still remains interested in the permanent head coach position. According to JTBC, Bento already communicated his interest in the head coach role to the Korea Football Association. This suggests that he prefers a position where he can build the team over the long term, rather than a short-term, caretaker role.

Recently, there have been reports from Ecuador that the Ecuadorian Football Federation is working to recruit Bento as manager. However, when asked about this, he replied, "I will not comment on the possibility," avoiding a specific answer.

As a player, Bento was a midfielder for the Portuguese national team, participating in the UEFA European Championship (Euro 2000) and the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. As a coach, he began his managerial career at Portugal’s Sporting CP, and later managed the Portuguese national team, Brazilian club Cruzeiro, Greek club Olympiacos, China’s Chongqing Lifan, the Korean national team, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team. Notably, he led Portugal to qualify for Euro 2012 as head coach.

Meanwhile, this marks the first time that the Korea Football Association is selecting a senior national team manager through an open recruitment process.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.