Soccer-KFA rues Van Marwijk rejection, widens search for coach

SEOUL, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The Korea Football Association will pursue negotiations with several foreign coaches in its search for a new national team manager after talks with number one choice, Dutchman Bert van Marwijk, broke down at the weekend. The head of the KFA's technical committee, Lee Yong-soo, said on Monday that Van Marwijk had been given little time to make a decision and that issues such as tax and how much time he was prepared to spend in Korea contributed to his decision. The Dutchman led the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final and had been the KFA's top pick to fill the role left vacant by Hong Myung-bo, who resigned in July following South Korea's woeful World Cup campaign in Brazil. "I feel bad that the negotiations with Van Marwijk did not work out," Lee told a news conference on Monday. "We did not have much time so we asked him to make a decision by last Friday ... but the final response from him was a 'no.'" "Tax-related salary issues" and where Van Marwijk wanted to spend most of his time were two sticking points in the negotiations, Lee said, adding that the KFA would now change the way they were conducting the search. "We focused on negotiations with him only, but from now on we will contact and negotiate with several coaches at the same time. At least two or three, not one at a time. "Of the many qualities we are looking for in a new coach for the national team, the most important requirement is how passionate the coach is about Korean soccer and how devoted he is to advancing the level of Korean soccer," added Lee. MEDIA ATTENTION The KFA considered 17 local and 30 foreign coaches for the national team job before whittling the list down to three foreign candidates. Lee had said that experience, whether at international or domestic level, would be the top priority in picking a coach for South Korea, who reached the 2002 World Cup semi-finals on home soil under Dutchman Guus Hiddink. Lee did not reveal the other targets on the coaching shortlist and asked the media to refrain from pushing too hard to discover their identities in order to preserve the integrity of the negotiations. "I am not sure how it was leaked in the media in the first place that I got in touch with Van Marwijk, but the heated media attention posed difficulties during the negotiating process," he said. Former national team midfielder Shin Tae-yong, who has also managed in the domestic K-League, is one of three local coaches who will help the team prepare for upcoming friendles against Venezuela and Uruguay early next month. "I still have hopes that a new coach can sit down and observe the A-matches we have in September, although it is only my wish at the moment," added Lee. South Korea host Venezuela on Sept. 5 and Uruguay three days later. They also travel to Tehran to play Iran in November and are looking to arrange two friendlies in October as part of their buildup to the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia in January. (Writing by Peter Rutherford; Reporting by Narae Kim; Editing by Ian Ransom)