Jo Tong-sop (born May 1, 1959)
is a North Korean football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach of the
North Korea national football team
The North Korea national football team ( Munhwaŏ ko, 조선민주주의인민공화국 국가종합팀, recognized as Korea DPR by FIFA) represents North Korea in men's international football and it is controlled by the DPR Korea Football A ...
. It was his second stint in charge of the national team, having previously managed North Korea from 2010 to 2011, replacing
Kim Jong-hun, who led the team to the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
.
Playing career
Jo Tong-sop was a player before becoming a coach. He was part of the North Korean team that won the 1986
King's Cup
__NOTOC__
King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to:
Sports Football
* Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football
* King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...
against
Aarhus Gymnastikforening
Aarhus Gymnastikforening (; commonly known as AGF ), is a professional sports club based in Aarhus, Jutland, Denmark. Founded in 1880, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country and gymnastics and fencing are featured as its main sports. Howev ...
.
His playing career lasted 20 years before he retired.
Coaching career
Jo Tong-sop was the coach of the national youth team and an assistant coach to the 2010 World Cup national team.
He led the North Korean national youth football team to victory in the
2010 AFC U-19 Championship
The 2010 AFC U-19 Championship was the 36th edition of the tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation.
Qualification for the tournament started in October 2009 with the finals tournament being hosted in October 2010.
The AFC reco ...
for their third title. As assistant coach to the national team he won the
2010 AFC Challenge Cup
The 2010 AFC Challenge Cup was the third edition of the tournament which was held from 16–27 February 2010 in Sri Lanka. India, the defending champions, fielded their under-23 team for this tournament in preparation for the 2010 Asian Game ...
which let North Korea qualify for the
2011 Asian Cup
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the fifte ...
. During the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup he attributed North Korea's draw to
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
to the high temperature.
His first game as coach of the national team was a loss to the
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
national team during a friendly game in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. His first victory with the team was a 1-0 win against
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
in
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
. He coached the national team during the 2011 Asian Cup, and the first game ended in a draw against the
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
national team. Later in the cup, North Korea lost to
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. He also led North Korea at
2015 AFC Asian Cup
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The tournament was ...
and they were eliminated again in group stages after three loses against
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jo, Tong-sop
1959 births
Living people
North Korean football managers
North Korea national football team managers
2011 AFC Asian Cup managers
2015 AFC Asian Cup managers