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South Korea have appointed former Spain coach Robert Moreno as interim head coach following the national team’s disappointing World Cup campaign and a series of controversies surrounding the country’s football federation.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced the appointment on Tuesday, saying Moreno will oversee the team’s friendly matches in September and October.
The 48-year-old could also remain in charge for the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, depending on an assessment of his performance.
South Korea have been without a coach since Hong Myung-bo resigned following the team’s surprise group-stage elimination from the World Cup in North America in June.
Hong’s departure failed to ease criticism of the team’s performance and intensified existing concerns over the process that led to his appointment.
Police raided the KFA headquarters last month as part of an investigation into Hong’s 2024 appointment. The federation has also apologised over allegations that it provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees.
Moreno will begin his tenure with home friendlies against Ecuador and Uruguay in September, followed by matches against Venezuela and Uzbekistan in October. He could also oversee additional fixtures during the November international window.
The KFA said Moreno was selected through an open recruitment process. He becomes the first Spaniard to coach the South Korean national team.
Moreno briefly took charge of Spain in 2019 after Luis Enrique stepped down following the diagnosis of his daughter, Xana, with a rare form of bone cancer.
He was initially appointed on a temporary basis before becoming permanent coach in June 2019. Spain brought Luis Enrique back in November that year after his daughter’s death.
The coaching change led to a public dispute between the two Spaniards, with Luis Enrique accusing Moreno of disloyalty over his desire to remain in charge for Euro 2020.
Moreno has also managed Monaco, Granada and Russian club Sochi. He left Sochi in September 2025 following a poor run of results.
Earlier this year, Moreno rejected reports in Russian media that he had used ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence tools to prepare matches, select line-ups or choose players while managing Sochi.
In an open letter published by Spanish newspaper Marca, Moreno said the claims were completely false and maintained that he relied on his own judgement and that of his coaching staff.
He said his background in data and video analysis had been central to his career, adding that technology was an important part of his work but did not make decisions for him.
“I have never used ChatGPT or any AI to prepare matches, decide line-ups or choose players. That is completely false,” he wrote.
“My career in football began precisely through data and video analysis. It’s what I specialise in and what made the difference in my early days,” he said.
