Seoul: Recently named interim boss for the South Korean men's national football team, Spanish tactician Robert Moreno, on Friday promised to deliver "work, honesty and respect" in his new position. Moreno, who once led the Spanish men's national team and had other coaching stints with FC Barcelona and AS Roma, among other clubs, was appointed as temporary head coach by the Korea Football Association (KFA) on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Moreno will oversee the next six matches for the Taegeuk Warriors. They will host Ecuador on Sept. 24, Uruguay on Sept. 28, Venezuela on Oct. 2, and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. The KFA is also trying to schedule two more matches in November.
The KFA chose to hire a caretaker manager for these six games in the fall instead of rushing to bring in a full-time coach after Hong Myung-bo stepped down to take the fall for South Korea's group-stage exit at the FIFA World Cup in June.
After the upcoming friendlies, South Korea will compete at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in January in Saudi Arabia. Although Moreno's contract runs through Nov. 27, the KFA said he will have a chance to stay on for the Asian Cup, depending on South Korea's performance in those six matches.
In a post on his website, Moreno said getting the South Korean job is "an honor and a responsibility." "I have known and respected Korean football for years, and now my job is to work for it," Moreno wrote. "I will not promise results: I promise work, honesty and respect. Whatever we have to say, we will say it on the pitch."