▲ Head Coach Robert Moreno
National football team head coach Robert Moreno will announce the roster tomorrow (October 29) for the final friendly matches of the year.
Players called up by coach Moreno tomorrow at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan will head to the Middle East for away friendlies in November.
The national team will sequentially face Saudi Arabia on November 13 and Qatar on November 17 in Doha, Qatar.
Following the squad announcement, coach Moreno plans to head straight to Europe to watch matches featuring players in European leagues and check their skills and physical condition.
Along with this, he is expected to meet with the so-called "Class of '96" players, including Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang In-beom (Porto), and Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke), to encourage and console them.
Raising issues with the leadership of captain Son Heung-min (LAFC), these players caused a national team "retirement commotion" during the match against Uzbekistan, which was the last of the four friendly matches held last September and October.
At the time, Hwang In-beom conveyed through a Q&A session with reporters on-site that he had no intention of retiring, but the unsettled atmosphere within the team has not yet been resolved.
Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan, and Son Heung-min have not released official statements regarding this incident since then.
All four of these key national team players are highly likely to be included in this roster.
However, Kim Min-jae has been unable to play in his club's matches due to an injury.
After touring Europe, coach Moreno will travel directly to Doha, Qatar, the battleground.
These upcoming friendlies could potentially be the final stage for coach Moreno leading the South Korean national team.
Currently serving as an "interim coach," Moreno's contract runs until November.
However, with the 2027 AFC Asian Cup scheduled to open on January 7 of next year, the possibility of his contract being extended was not small.
Yet, as host country Saudi Arabia has faced attacks from Yemen's pro-Iran Houthi rebels, leading to growing instability, discussions have emerged regarding a potential one-year postponement of the tournament.
If the Asian Cup is not held on schedule or if the by-election for the vacant Korea Football Association presidency is held within the year, a new "permanent coach" could be appointed under the new leadership.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.