Robert Moreno walked into his first South Korea press conference with two things to address: a national fanbase still fuming over a group-stage World Cup exit, and a viral story claiming he coached with ChatGPT. He tackled both head-on.
"A piece of news that is completely false," he said of the AI allegations, which followed him from Russian side Sochi — a club he left in September 2025 after poor results and reports that he'd leaned on artificial intelligence for everything from tactical prep to transfer decisions. Whether you buy the denial or not, it's a strange footnote to bring into a new job.
Son back where he belongs
The squad announcement was the real headline. Son Heung-min is in — alongside Atletico Madrid's Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae, it's a strong core for a team that desperately needs to look like it means business again.
Son's inclusion matters beyond sentiment. Hong Myung-bo, Moreno's predecessor, left the forward on the bench for the first half of the decisive group match against South Africa at the World Cup. South Korea lost. Hong quit. The KFA got raided by police over questions about how Hong was appointed in the first place, and then had to issue an apology over allegations it arranged sexual entertainment for foreign referees. It's been a rough few months for Korean football.
Moreno inherits a squad with genuine quality — and a public that's been given plenty of reasons not to trust the setup around it. South Korea face Ecuador and Uruguay in September, then Venezuela and Uzbekistan in October. They're not soft tests.
Asian Cup audition
The KFA confirmed Moreno could carry on into the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January-February, but only "subject to an evaluation." That phrasing does real work. He's on probation, and the results in these four friendlies will shape the conversation before the tournament even starts. Anyone pricing South Korea for Asian Cup glory should factor in that they're still working out who's actually running the show.
"We're going to try to do our work honestly and with the aim of making all Korean football fans happy," Moreno said. It's the right thing to say. Now he has to back it up — with Son on the pitch from the first minute.
