8 Years Ago in the US, 8.2 Billion 'Swallowed'... Is Klinsmann a 'Penalty Hunter'?

In 2016, Remaining 20 Months' Salary Received in the US
Korea Football Association Must Pay at Least 7 Billion Won

On the 16th, with the sudden dismissal of J?rgen Klinsmann, head coach of the South Korean national football team, attention is focused on the amount of penalty money the Korea Football Association (KFA) must pay him. Meanwhile, it has come to light that eight years ago in the United States, he also received a substantial remaining salary when he was dismissed as the national team coach, sparking public interest.

Klinsmann, who was appointed as the South Korean national team coach in February last year, originally had a contract period until the North and Central American World Cup finals scheduled for June to July 2026. It is reported that the contract included a clause requiring payment of the remaining salary in case of dismissal. Klinsmann’s annual salary is known to be 2 million euros (approximately 2.9 billion KRW), and if the contract is followed, the KFA would have to pay him more than 7 billion KRW as the remaining salary. Adding the salaries of the foreign coaches of the national team, the penalty money is expected to exceed 10 billion KRW.

Former National Football Team Coach Juergen Klinsmann
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 16th, Chung Mong-gyu, chairman of the Korea Football Association, announced Klinsmann’s dismissal and said regarding the remaining salary, "We need to consult with lawyers," and added, "If any issues arise, as chairman, I will consider what financial contributions I can make."

This is not the first time Klinsmann has received the remaining salary after being dismissed during the contract period. Having served as the U.S. national team coach since 2011, he led the team through the 2018 Russia World Cup North and Central American final qualifiers in 2016 but faced a crisis after consecutive losses to Mexico and Costa Rica. At that time, Klinsmann told The New York Times in an interview, "I am not afraid. I am confident we will finish first in the qualifying group."

Klinsmann was fired in November 2016 and received the remaining salary for the 20 months left on his contract until 2018. It was estimated that the total compensation cost for Klinsmann and his staff (including non-cash compensation) was 6.2 million dollars (approximately 8.2 billion KRW). The Washington Post also reported, citing the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) tax filings, that he received more than 4.8 million dollars (640 million KRW) after his dismissal. Thanks to this astronomical penalty, Klinsmann ironically held the title of the highest-paid coach in American soccer despite being effectively "unemployed."

As this past behavior became known, netizens have poured out criticism and ridicule such as "It's basically a scam," "It turns out it was Klinsmann’s big plan," "He ruined football but still took the money," and "Invest like Klinsmann." Some have pointed out that the contract’s clause requiring "residence in Korea during the tenure" was violated and argued that the full penalty should not be paid to him. It is known that Klinsmann stayed in Korea for only 67 days during the six months after his appointment. This has led to controversies over remote work, overseas trips, and negligence of duty.

Meanwhile, before the news of his dismissal was announced, former coach Klinsmann seemed to have anticipated it and posted on his social media, "I sincerely thank all the players, coaching staff, and Korean football fans." He also praised himself, saying, "Thank you for the support in reaching the Asian Cup semifinals, and before that, we had a 13-match unbeaten streak over the past 12 months."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.