Ex-Spain boss appointed by South Korea as KFA turn to former Luis Enrique assistant following World Cup disaster

The KFA appointed Moreno as interim head coach following an open recruitment process to fill the vacant managerial role. The position opened up after Hong resigned in the wake of a disastrous group-stage exit at the World Cup in North America in June. The 48-year-old tactician becomes the first Spaniard to take charge of the South Korea national team.

The appointment comes amid severe internal turmoil for the KFA, following police raids on its headquarters last month over Hong's 2024 hiring and a public apology regarding allegations of providing sexual entertainment for foreign referees.

Moreno's own international background includes stepping in for Enrique with Spain in 2019 when the latter stepped down due to his daughter's illness. The pair endured a public falling-out when Enrique returned ahead of Euro 2020, accusing his former assistant of disloyalty.

The former Monaco and Granada manager faced accusations from Russian media over allegedly using artificial intelligence while in charge of Sochi before departing in September 2025. Strongly denying the claims in an open letter to Spanish newspaper Marca, Moreno wrote: "I have never used ChatGPT or any AI to prepare matches, decide line-ups or choose players. That is completely false."

Stressing that decisions are made alongside his coaching staff, he added: "My career in football began precisely through data and video analysis. It's what I specialise in and what made the difference in my early days."

Moreno will oversee home friendlies against Ecuador and Uruguay in September, followed by fixtures against Venezuela and Uzbekistan in October, with further matches potentially scheduled for November. The federation confirmed he could lead the side at the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, subject to a performance review. These upcoming tests represent a pivotal opportunity to restore public faith in the national side.