Hajime Moriyasu, head coach of the Japan national football team, stated that he does not consider former South Korea national team coach Hong Myung-bo to be the worst in history. This remark comes as a defense of Hong, who is facing heavy public criticism following the team's elimination in the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. Coach Moriyasu held a press conference in Tokyo yesterday, July 2, after returning home with his squad. When a reporter from a Japanese media outlet at the press conference asked for his assessment of the South Korean national football team, Moriyasu replied, "I do not know the situation in South Korea in detail, so there is not much I can say." However, he added, "I have interacted with Coach Hong as both a rival and a friend, and I do not think his World Cup performance was the worst in history." He further remarked that Hong "fought without sparing himself for the sake of South Korean football." Coach Moriyasu continued, "Coach Hong also did his absolute best," and explained, "Since evaluations of the World Cup are based on results, I do not believe that everything he has done up to this point was wrong." He even smiled as he added, "I hope that the good aspects will also be reported in South Korea." The Japanese national team, led by Coach Moriyasu, advanced to the Round of 32 after passing the group stage with 1 win and 2 draws, totaling 5 points, but they were defeated 1-2 by Brazil in their first knockout match. Although they failed to reach the Round of 16, it is reported that the Japan Football Association plans to ask Coach Moriyasu to remain in his position. Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Jung Yu-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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