SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — One will definitely stay. One has already left. One of the may not want to talk about his immediate football future while he’s on vacation.
All six teams from Asia are at home after the continent’s most successful World Cup group stage. Three Asian teams made it to the second round, though none made it further. With the Asian Cup taking place in January 2024, sorting out the status of head coaches is an immediate priority for most federations.
Five of the six Asian representatives in Qatar had long-standing coaches in charge, but only one is certain to stay. Herve Renard signed a contract extension in May to remain in charge of Saudi Arabia until 2027. Following the Green Falcons’ shock 2-1 win over Argentina, and closing in on a place in the round of 16, Renard is confident in the post of Saudi Arabia.
There is also only one who definitely leaves. Paulo Bento leaves Seoul after more than four years in charge of the South Korean national team. He led the team to the second round after a last-minute win over his native Portugal in the last game of Group H, but his tenure ended in a 4-1 loss to Brazil.
“Even though we were knocked out in the round of 16, we kept our style of play against a powerful team,” said Bento, adding that he had decided in September to move on after Qatar. “I will always be connected to South Korea, both in terms of my career and my personal life.”
The domestic soccer debate has already moved to whether the next head coach will be a Korean or a foreigner.
For the other four coaches who guided the Asian teams in the World Cup, the moment of decision looms, be it for the coach or the federation.
Graham Arnold led Australia to the round of 16 before a narrow 2-1 loss to Argentina. Arnold took over in 2018 and while the Soccer Federation of Australia has indicated its satisfaction with his performance during an interrupted qualifying stage and in the tournament, it has yet to decide if he will continue.
“I haven’t thought about the future,” he said. “My contract is up and I just want to go, have a vacation, rest and see what happens.” The FFA said it is happy to give Arnold time and space to think about his future.
Japan beat Germany and Spain to top their group and advance to the World Cup knockout stage for the fourth time, a record for an Asian team. Samurai Blue were disappointed not to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, however they lost in a penalty shootout to Croatia.
Coach Hajime Moriyasu, appointed in 2018, confounded critics who thought he was too conservative to guide the team to great success. Moriyasu, 54, is expected to continue after he told reporters upon his return to Tokyo that he wants to stay at work longer.
Carlos Queiroz, appointed in August, could also stay in Iran. Iran beat Wales but failed to pick up a point against the United States in the final Group B match to advance to the round of 16.
“Now we have to think about supporting the coaching staff and Queiroz and think about the players and their spirit,” said Hamid Sajjadi, Minister of Sports and Youth, after the Iran team returned home. “Mr. Queiroz should be able to plan the next Nations Cup with ease and we will do everything we can to help.”
The worst performer of the Asian teams in Qatar was the host nation. Félix Sánchez was the longest-serving manager of the six, taking the reins in Qatar in 2017, but recorded three home losses.
“Our objective is very clear, we will have a generational change,” said Sánchez. “Some players will leave, others will come.”
It already seems to be happening. On Monday night, the Qatar Football Association named a new roster for the regional Gulf Cup in January with Bruno Pinheiro, former coach of Qatar’s youth teams, in charge.
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