Italian soccer legend Fabio Cannavaro has reportedly received an offer to coach the South Korean national soccer team.
“Cannavaro could take charge of Kim Min-jae’s national team,” Italian media outlet Il Matino reported on Nov. 25 (KST). Cannavaro, who was the head coach of Benevento Calcio until recently, is said to have received an offer from the Korean Football Association, which fired coach Jürgen Klinsmann.
Cannavaro has been coaching since 2014. Unexpectedly, it was in Asia, not Europe. He took charge of Guangzhou Hengda (now Guangzhou FC) in the Chinese Super League on the recommendation of his mentor, Marcelo Lippi. He took Guangzhou to the top of China and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) at a time when yellow money was sweeping the soccer world.
After stints at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr and Tianjin Quanjian, Cannavaro returned to Guangzhou in 2017, where he coached until 2021. He then took over as interim head coach of the Chinese national soccer team in 2019.
Cannavaro left China in 2022 and returned to Italy. He took charge of Benevento, a Serie B club at the time, but was sacked after failing to fulfill his two-year contract due to poor results. The KFA is rumored to have approached Cannavaro, who is currently taking a year off from coaching.
Cannavaro still has a lot to prove as a coach. In Asia, he didn”t get high marks for his tactics. He hasn”t had a great reputation as a player because he failed so badly when he returned to Europe.
As a player, however, he has an excellent reputation. The legendary Italian defender played for big clubs such as Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid. In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he led the Italian national team to victory and won the Ballon d’Or that year.
He”s similar to former coach Klinsmann. As a player, Klinsmann was a star player who was recognized around the world as the second runner-up for the Ballon d’Or. However, his competence and attitude issues have always been a problem for him as a coach. Nevertheless, the KFA gave him the job on the unilateral decision of President Chung Mong-kyu. Even Klinsmann revealed the secret of the selection process, saying, “He responded sincerely to what I said in a joking way.”
The approach to Cannavaro also raises concerns following previous failures. The KFA is currently in the process of reorganizing the National Strength and Conditioning Committee and selecting the next coach. In its first and second meetings, the committee agreed to use an interim coach for the March 2026 FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2026 second-round Asian qualifier against Thailand and the third and fourth games.
Initially, the Power Enhancement Committee had planned to appoint a full-time head coach from the Thailand match to start the 안전놀이터 World Cup qualifiers, but due to the lack of time and the burden of bringing in an incumbent K League manager, the committee decided to take a cautious approach to the search for a new coach after the interim period.
Former Vietnam national team coach Park Hang-seo is being considered as the interim coach, according to soccer insiders. The idea has been narrowed down to a seasoned coach with a lot of experience to take the place of the footballers who will feel the pressure of playing only two games against Thailand. The new committee includes Park’s assistant, Lee Young-jin, who will be able to help with the preparation process. In addition, Park Hang-seo is familiar with Thailand’s strengths from coaching Vietnam, so it will be easier for him to approach the game.
With the need to do well against Thailand and carefully set a direction by June to begin the process of appointing a permanent coach, Cannavaro’s name being thrown around is not a good idea as it violates the process that soccer fans are clamoring for.
Nevertheless, Il Martino said: “The KFA is interested in bringing Mr. Cannavaro back to Asia. If Cannavaro accepts, he will coach Kim Min-jae, who played for Napoli.” During his sabbatical, Cannavaro was also reportedly offered a job at Getafe, but he turned it down.