Bonfrere set to coach South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- Dutchman Johannes Bonfrere has agreed to become the new head coach of South Korea.
The former Nigeria coach, who has also worked in club football in Europe and the Middle East, has signed a preliminary deal and is expected to sign a formal contract next week, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said in a statement.
Bonfrere was a surprise choice to replace Humberto Coelho, who quit in April after a humiliating 0-0 draw with the Maldives in an Asian World Cup qualifier.
The 58-year-old's contract is scheduled to run for just over two years and will include the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
The KFA said that its selection process had been swayed by the need to have a coach who was available at short notice in order to prepare for next month's Asian Cup in China.
Their search for a replacement for Coelho had not run smoothly.
The KFA failed to reach an agreement with favored target Bruno Metsu. Negotiations with the former Senegal manager stalled over pay.
Bonfrere will have a lot to live up to in terms of matching the success of his compatriot Guus Hiddink who led South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup and became a national hero.
South Korea's performance under Hiddink's successor Coelho was erratic, including shock defeats to Oman and Vietnam in Asian Cup qualifiers as well as the Maldives.
Under acting coach Park Sung-hwa, who resigned on Tuesday, South Korea managed a 2-0 victory over Vietnam in a 2006 World Cup Asian zone qualifier and a win and a loss in friendlies against Turkey.
Bonfrere was assistant coach when Nigeria won the African Nations Cup in 1994 and he took the Under-23 side to the Olympic title in 1996.
At club level, Bonfrere had spells with Dutch side MVV Maastricht and Beerschot in Belgium. More recently he managed Egyptian club Al Ahli and Al Wahda of the UAE.
