Jurgen Klinsmann explains why he smiled after South Korea’s Asian Cup elimination

Jurgen Klinsmann‘s broad smile is a part of his allure.

But on Tuesday in Qatar, the South Korea coach was left to clarify why he was grinning after his staff suffered a painful defeat in the semifinals of the Asian Cup.

Klinsmann warmly congratulated Jordan coach Hussein Ammouta on the sphere after his staff produced an enormous upset with a 2-0 win at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

Perhaps a bit too warmly.

“For me it’s normal to congratulate the other coach when his team was better in a game. I think this is a sign of respect,” Klinsmann mentioned when questioned about his post-game response. “They deserved this win today. They were the better team, but this is for me totally normal. If you say I shouldn’t smile, give somebody a smile that deserves a compliment in that moment, maybe we have different approaches.”

There has been criticism of Klinsmann and South Korea’s performances in reaching the semifinals. His ways have been questioned and the final impression is that he ought to have executed extra with such a gifted squad, led by Tottenham forward Son Heung-min.

So it could have been jarring for some to see him smile as cameras centered on him after the ultimate whistle towards a Jordan staff ranked 64 locations beneath South Korea in FIFA’s rankings.

He might then be seen looking for out Ammouta, who was celebrating on the sphere with gamers and employees.

It stays to be seen what the fallout will likely be after defeat to Jordan, which had by no means reached the semifinals of the Asian Cup earlier than and had solely superior to the spherical of 16 as among the finest third-placed groups within the group stage — behind South Korea.

“I am very disappointed. I’m angry because we should have done better tonight,” Klinsmann mentioned. “We were not existent the first 20 or 30 minutes. That’s why I’m saying we give them respect because they were better they wanted it more.

“But when the sport is over and I congratulate one other coach and also you smile simply due to him personally and also you congratulate him. I feel it’s not an enormous deal. I’m actually not strolling round tonight and smiling all over. There have been causes why we misplaced this sport. We have to simply accept these causes. If the opposite staff confirmed extra on the sphere, which they did, then it’s a must to give them respect.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.