Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean men’s Olympic soccer team, on Wednesday expressed his dismay at local officials’ handling of the aftermath of a player’s celebration at the London Olympics.

At a press conference discussing the country’s bronze medal-winning performance, Hong said Park Jong-woo, the player in question, deserves the medal that he has yet to collect. South Korea defeated Japan 2-0 to take the bronze, the country’s first Olympic football medal, but Park was barred from the medal ceremony following his controversial post-match celebration.

Hong said he found it “unfortunate” that Park couldn’t join his teammates on the podium.

“He was as big a contributor to the team as anyone,” Hong said.

“As far as I am concerned, he is a well-deserving bronze medalist. That should have been his moment to remember, and he never got that chance.”

After celebrating the victory with a sign that read, in Korean, “Dokdo Is Our Territory,” Park was barred from the medal ceremony in London. The sign, which was passed to the midfielder from a fan in the stands, referred to South Korea’s easternmost islets to which Japan has frequently laid claims.

FIFA and the International Olympic Committee are investigating the incident, having apparently deemed Park’s action politically charged. The Olympic Charter prohibits athletes from displaying political messages. South Koreans have stressed Park’s action was not premeditated or intentional.

The Korea Football Association and the Korean Olympic Committee have also come under fire for their handling of the situation. The KOC told Park not to attend banquets and other functions celebrating the medal, a decision that irked Hong.

“I think (the KOC) should have been more deliberate,” the coach said. “When I heard the KOC decided not to let Park attend these events, I was very disappointed. I personally called him and told him to come.”

Hong insisted that as the team’s head coach, he “wanted to be with every one of my players from the start to the very end,” and that he felt inviting Park “was the least I could do as his coach.”

The KFA was grilled earlier this week in the National Assembly for writing an apologetic letter to its Japanese counterpart.

Critics charged South Korean officials didn’t have to apologize or seek understanding from Japanese officials, because the action implied South Korea’s admission of Park’s wrongdoing.

Hong also questioned whether the KFA should have written that letter in the first place, and said the local governing body “should have been more careful.”

Discussing his players’ actions on the field, Hong said thorough preparation for the Olympics was the biggest factor.

“My philosophy as a football coach is all about preparation,” he said. “We were prepared for every possible situation. I understand coaches are measured by their results, but I also think the process is important. We had a good process, set our sights on winning an Olympic medal and prepared accordingly to achieve that goal.”

Previously, South Korea had gone as far as the quarterfinals only twice in eight Olympics. In London, South Korea reached the quarterfinals by finishing second in Group B behind Mexico, the eventual gold medalist, with one win and two draws. Then in the quarters, South Korea stunned Britain 5-4 in a penalty shootout.

It was overwhelmed and outclassed by Brazil 3-0 in the semifinals. It set up a meeting with Japan for the bronze medal, and Hong said taking on the regional rival provided the extra fuel.

“Honestly, the bronze medal game would have been more difficult for us if we had played an opponent other than Japan,” the coach said. “I think the players, in addition to trying to win the medal, had that extra drive just because we were facing our big rival. I think that’s what made the difference.”

Hong has been coaching essentially the same group of the U23 Olympic team members for more than three years, starting with the U19 national squad. The KFA may be grooming the 43-year-old as the next head coach for the senior team.

But Hong himself has other ideas for now, saying he wants to take time off at least until the end of this year.

“I’ve exhausted all of my energy and resources in London and I need time to recharge,” he said. “I am not thinking of taking up another coaching job and I haven’t had any offers.” 

(Yonhap News)