The KFA has appointed Michael Müller, current head of the Technical Development Committee, as the new chairman of the National Team Committee following the resignation of former chairman Lee Yongsoo.

This is the first time that a foreigner has been given the role of leading the committee to oversee the national teams’ operations and management.

The 58-year-old German has worked as the head of KFA’s Technical Development Committee over two tenures, since he was appointed as an instructor for KFA’s coaching programmes in April 2018.

He has not only worked as a coaching instructor, but also contributed to the development of youth football in Korea – introducing the 8-a-side games to the elementary school league in the process.

Prior to his arrival in Korea, Müller had worked as a coaching instructor for the German football association (DFB) for ten years. He used to take the reins of Germany’s U-15 and U-18 national teams, whilst working as a scout for their U-21 side that won the UEFA U-21 Championship in 2017.

KFA explained the appointment of Müller in a statement that read: “Not only has he had rich experience in the advanced systems of European football, but also developed deep understanding of Korean football from the youth setup, professional football scene as well as the national teams through the past five years he has worked on.”

Müller will appoint new members of the National Team Committee, before giving a press conference to reveal his plans for the operation of the committee.

He said: “I’m delighted, and I’d like to express my gratitude to the KFA for giving me the opportunity. I understand the current status of the national team in the Republic of Korea, and I will do my best to fulfill the tasks given to me.”

The priority for Müller would be to appoint a new coach for the men’s national team. For this to happen, the newly assembled committee will review the shortlist of candidates that had been submitted by the committee under his predecessor Lee Yongsoo.

A spokesperson at the KFA has commented that the newly appointed committee members led by Müller might as well add a few more candidates if necessary, saying: “the process of appointing a new coach should speed up after the new committee will have been assembled. Therefore, our initial goal of appointing a new coach by the end of February remains unchanged.”

Meanwhile, former head of the committee Lee Yongsoo said: “I had thought from the beginning that my role would be until the end of the World Cup in Qatar, so I resigned from the post as the head of the reinforcement committee and the vice president of the KFA after the tournament was over. I think it is right to prepare for the World Cup in 2026 under the guidance of of a newly appointed head of the committee and a new coach. I wish all the best for the national team, as they continue to develop and achieve better results in the future.”