Park Moon-sung questions timing of Bento return reports, says KFA criticism 'buried'

The Korea Football Association has been accused of inviting controversy over reports that former national team head coach Paulo Bento may return to the post.

Soccer commentator Park Moon-sung raised questions Wednesday about the timing of Bento-related coverage on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show." Park said he found it puzzling that "news about Bento as national team head coach kept coming out around Monday and Tuesday."

Park noted that the first report appeared on the very day the K-Football Innovation Committee held its launch ceremony. "Soccer fans have a very strong sense of nostalgia for Bento," he said. "All the criticism and arrows were pointed at the KFA, but once the Bento story came to the fore, everything got buried."

Park also questioned the KFA's process, asking, "How can you put out a recruitment notice when the review of the North America World Cup isn't even finished?"

When asked whether the KFA may have been trying to deflect responsibility, Park said, "At the very least, even if they didn't deliberately leak it, they are certainly letting this issue grow." Asked whether the association had anything to lose, he replied simply, "No."

On the possibility of Bento being reappointed, Park said he "could be a strong candidate if he has already been vetted, his style is known, and he himself is willing." However, Park stressed that discussions circulating before any formal process had begun were themselves a problem, and called on the KFA to proceed with caution.

The national team head coach position is currently vacant. South Korea failed to advance past the round of 32 at the 2026 North America World Cup, after which former head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned to take responsibility for the poor results.

Bento led the national team from September 2018 for approximately four years and four months, making him the longest-serving head coach in South Korean football history for a single tenure.