South Korea football coach quits as president calls for probe into World Cup loss

Hong Myung-bo has resigned as head coach of South Korea's men's national football team after they failed to advance to the World Cup knockout stage. The team had hoped they could still qualify for the next round of the tournament as one of the best third-placed teams, but that hope was quashed on Saturday. The early exit has prompted widespread criticism at home, with President Lee Jae-myung calling for an investigation into reasons behind the team's disappointing performance. Hong apologised to fans on Sunday and said the responsibility "rests entirely with me as head coach". Ranked 32nd in FIFA's men's rankings and led by star player Son Heung-min, South Korea recorded two losses and one win the World Cup, finishing behind Mexico and South Africa, who are ranked 15th and 60th respectively. Criticism mounted quickly after the team's last match with South Africa on Thursday, which South Korea lost 1-0. The defeat left South Korea third in Group A, but still gave them hope to qualify for the next round under a new rule introduced with this tournament's expansion from 32 to 48 teams, which allows the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage to progress to the knockout round. Announcing his resignation at a press conference in western Mexico, Hong said that "we didn't deliver the results that our fans expected". "Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether," Hong said. …