Sports

South Korea sack Jurgen Klinsmann after just 12 months in the role

Published

3 months ago

February 16, 2024

Jurgen Klinsmann has been sacked as head coach of South Korea after just 12 months in the role.

The 59-year-old German was appointed in February last year, with his contract running until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

But South Korea were beaten in the semi-finals at the Asian Cup earlier this month, prolonging the country’s 64-year wait for the title.

There had also been reports of in-fighting between top players.

South Korea captain Son Heung-min reportedly injured his finger during a dispute with team-mates before their shock 2-0 defeat by Jordan last week.

The incident took place at a team dinner, according to the Korea Football Association (KFA).

Following the loss to Jordan, who are ranked 64 places below South Korea at 87th in the world, Klinsmann said he had no plans to resign from the job.

However, on Thursday, football officials said the ex-Tottenham striker and Germany World Cup winner had run out of time to turn things around.

“We’ve reached a consensus that Klinsmann cannot exercise his leadership as national team head coach for various reasons and that a change of leadership is necessary,” said Hwangbo Kwan of the KFA.

Jurgen Klinsmann succeeded ex-South Korea boss Paulo Bento last year but the German has been an unpopular figure since taking over

Klinsmann has been an unpopular figure with fans since taking over because of his lack of time spent in South Korea, preferring instead to remain based in California.

In his first six months in the job, a Seoul newspaper calculated Klinsmann had spent just 67 days in the country, in contrast to past foreign coaches who had all been based in the capital city.

He led Germany to third place at the 2006 World Cup and the United States to the knockout stages of the 2014 tournament, but his previous role before South Korea was a 10-week spell at Bundesliga side Hertha BSC four years ago.

South Korea’s star-studded side – which included the likes of Son, Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan and Paris St-Germain’s Lee Kang-in – were one of the favourites to lift the Asian Cup but they failed to show any real creative spark during tournament.

They only won one match in normal time and in the second round, they were 90 seconds from elimination before a 99th-minute equaliser against Saudi Arabia and then winning a penalty shootout.

In the quarter-final, they levelled against Australia in the 96th minute before Tottenham’s Son scored a superb extra-time free-kick to book their last-four spot.

However, they did not register a single shot on target in the semi-final and were surprisingly outclassed by underdogs Jordan, who were beaten in the final by hosts Qatar.

Sports

Barcelona optimistic of signing Nico Williams in the summer

Published

4 days ago

May 16, 2024

Melody 911FM

FC Barcelona is hopeful about their prospects of acquiring the skilled winger Nico Williams during the upcoming summer transfer period.

Footballghana has previously reported that the La Liga team is eyeing the Spanish forward with Ghanaian roots to bolster their lineup for the forthcoming season.

Recent updates from Spain suggest that Barcelona’s management is actively pursuing the transfer.

The club is confident in finalizing an agreement with Athletic Club to secure Nico Williams prior to the commencement of the next season.

At present, Nico Williams’ contract includes a release clause valued at €55 million, which FC Barcelona is positioned to activate.

The forward’s exceptional performance over the last year has established him as one of the standout forwards in European football.

During the 2023/24 Spanish La Liga campaign, Nico Williams has contributed four goals and 10 assists across 29 matches.

In addition to Barcelona, numerous leading clubs, including Liverpool, have shown interest in him.

Sports

Tariq Lamptey featured in Brighton’s defeat to Chelsea.

Published

4 days ago

May 16, 2024

Melody 911FM

The Electoral Commission (EC) has reassured the public that the missing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits cannot be utilised to access its system or data.

According to Dr Eric Bossman Asare, the BVRs, which include a laptop, are ineffective on their own and can only be activated by the EC.

Thus, they pose no threat to the integrity of elections, he stated.

Additionally, they cannot be used to register anyone during the ongoing limited voter registration exercise nor do they contain any sensitive data from the EC’s system, he said in an interview with JoyNews’ Evans Mensah.

Dr Bossman Asare stated, “The laptops on their own are insignificant. They are just like the laptops you use at your workplace. We’ve accounted for every single device that we’re going to be using.

“In 2020, when we did the registration, we bought 8,500 of the registration devices. We are not using all of them in this registration.”

“So that means the ones we are using now, we still have some there. So are you saying the EC will come and tell the Ghanaian people that five laptops are missing and we want to use those laptops to register people? Who in the EC is going to do that?” he quizzed.

Sports

Wollacott keeps clean sheet for Hibernian in 3-0 mauling of Motherwell

Published

4 days ago

May 16, 2024

Melody 911FM

Ghana international Jojo Wollacott delivered a fine performance for Hibernian on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, when the team secured a 3-0 victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

The Black Stars goalkeeper was in the starting lineup for his team in their Week 37 fixture.

Guarding the goal for the hosts, Jojo Wollacott made several good saves and maintained a clean sheet at the end of the 90 minutes, helping his team clinch all three points.

Hibernian was ahead by two goals at halftime, thanks to strikes from Myziane Maolida and Martin Boyle.

After the break, Martin Boyle found the net again to complete his brace, sealing a significant win for Hibernian against Motherwell.

Wollacott’s performance in today’s game is particularly important ahead of the June international break.

He needed the playing time to secure a spot in the Ghana squad for the upcoming matches against Mali and the Central African Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.