Paulo Bento has declared that he would step down as South Korea’s manager following their 4-1 loss to Brazil in the 2022 World Cup final 16 on Monday.
The Selecao surged into a four-goal lead against an overawed South Korean team, who had battled so valiantly to go to the knockout rounds last week after defeating Portugal in stoppage time.
However, Paulo Bento has now disclosed that his decision to depart after this winter’s tournament was set long ago and that he will keep his promise.
“I simply informed the players and the president of the federation that this is a choice I made in September,” he stated after the game.
“It’s official, and I’ve verified it.” I must express my gratitude to everyone for their efforts.
“From now on, we must consider the future.” I’m going to relax, and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Bento departs the Taegeuk Warriors after four years in command, and although he has supervised some development, the South Korean public still views the team’s 2019 Asian Cup quarter-final defeat to Qatar as a failure.
South Korea started the World Cup with a 0-0 tie against Uruguay and a thrilling 3-2 defeat to Ghana, with Bento getting sent out after the final whistle.
He was forced to watch from the stands as his team defeated Portugal 2-1 before returning to the sidelines for Monday’s thrashing against Brazil.
