Members of Korea Republic's returning AFC Asian Cup 2007 team have urged head coach Pim Verbeek to reconsider his decision to resign Monday, saying he was the right man for the job.
Verbeek said his resignation at a news conference on Saturday after South Korea secured a penalty shootout win over Japan in Palembang to seal 3rd place in the tournament.
He mentioned he asked the Korean FA (KFA) to terminate his contract, and the KFA mentioned Sunday they were discussing a probable successor.
"There is no one who knows Korean players as well as Verbeek. The players are even saying we should try and stop him," forward Lee Chun-soo was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency after arriving back in Seoul Monday.
Dutchman Verbeek, 51, had served as an assistant coach during Korea Republic's 2002 FIFA World CupT run under compatriot Guus Hiddink, when the team advanced to the semi-finals. He again worked with the Koreans during the 2006 tournament under another Dutchman, Dick Advocaat, before being named as head coach in June 2006.
Verbeek came under heavy criticism from local media over the team's defensive tactics during the Asian Cup. Korea Republic's last 3 games in the competition finished 0-0, forcing penalty shootouts on each occasion.
"People are talking about problems with his tactics however they are the same ones we used when Guus Hiddink was coach. We are the problem, not the coach," Lee, a forward with Ulsan Hyundai, added.
Forward Lee Keun-ho mentioned at the same news conference, "Verbeek's tactics and training methods are good."
