South Korean football is dead, say furious fans, as they demand sweeping reform

South Korean football is dead, say furious fans, as they demand sweeping reformImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, South Korean captain Son Heung-min after the loss to South Africa knocked his side out of the World Cup ByYuna KuBBC News Korean , Reporting fromSeoulPublished22 minutes agoSouth Korean football is dead - those words on the sign floating above the angry crowd said it all.Fans had gathered outside Seoul's Incheon airport to confront the national team as they returned home after being knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage.Their ire was directed at one man in particular: coach Hong Myung-bo, a former captain and footballing hero now faulted for his team's unimpressive run on the biggest sporting stage.And they couldn't have made that clearer. Supporters beat drums and shouted, "Hong out!", some even following him all the way to his car, even as others cheered for the players walking behind Hong. One football fan told the BBC that ahead of the World Cup, people talked less about the team and "kept saying Hong should step down".His appointment was met with opposition right from the start, embroiling the Korea Football Association (KFA) in a drawn-out controversy. Critics have long accused it of lacking transparency and fairness, saying coaches and key figures were often picked because of personal connections rather than a merit-based process - an allegation the KFA has denied."At the heart of the problem is KFA's incompetence," said sports critic Choi Dong-ho.Those charges and questions resurfaced after an earlier-than-expected exit from this World cup, triggering what some say is a long overdue reckoning in South Korean football.Hong apologised and resigned - saying the responsibility "rests entirely with me" - while President Lee Jae Myung called for an investigation."When favouritism and cronyism take precedence over competence in selecting a commander, the result is as clear...