Japanese national team coach Moriyasu Hajime, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals

Remained in office, while Korean national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who suffered a setback in the semifinals, was dismissed due to his unfaithful work attitude, incompetent leadership, and failure to manage the squad.

Moriyasu, who heard the news of Klinsmann's replacement, reacted bitterly, saying, "It's not someone else's business."

Moriyasu met with Japanese reporters while watching the 2024 J-League Super Cup Kawasaki Frontale-Vissel Kobe match at Tokyo National Stadium on the 17th and expressed his opinion on the replacement of Klinsmann.

When asked if he had been dismissed, he said, "I think I was held accountable for the outcome. Of course, there is something besides the outcome. This can happen enough in the soccer world. Seeing Klinsmann's replacement, I realized that the next coach was not guaranteed. It is someone else's business to me, too."

Moriyasu, who took the helm of the Japanese national team in the summer of 2018, won the runner-up prize at the 2019 Asian Cup and advanced to the round of 16 teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. Based on this, he successfully renewed his four-year contract after completing the Qatar World Cup.

However, the team failed at the 2023 Asian Cup. Japan lost to Iraq and Iran, and struggled against Vietnam and Indonesia, which were considered a step lower. Immediately after the tournament, there were strong criticisms against Moriyasu, but the Japan Football Association decided to maintain the Moriyasu system.

After being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, Moriyasu stayed home and checked the Asian Cup and overseas soccer matches.

"In the Asian Cup, I did everything I could, but as a result, there were things I could and couldn't do. I looked back on many things," he said. "We have to move forward to go one step higher."

Japan will have two consecutive matches against North Korea in the second preliminary round of the Asian region for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup. The two teams will have a showdown in Tokyo on March 21 and another showdown in Pyongyang on March 26.

Japan, which belongs to Group B of the second qualifying round for the North-China World Cup, is in first place with two wins (6 points), and North Korea is in second place with one win and one loss (3 points). 토토사이트 추천