After Asia’s World Cup stumble, resignations pile up from Seoul to Riyadh

The fallout in Asian football continues as the continent comes to terms with an underwhelming World Cup performance.

On Monday, Chung Mong-gyu stepped down as president of the Korea Football Association.

His departure follows harsh criticism from the country’s president and the resignation of coach Hong Myung-bo last week after South Korea’s group-stage exit that culminated in a 1-0 loss to South Africa.

“There were moments when I lived up to expectations and moments when I left you deeply disappointed,” said Chung, who has held the role since 2013. “All the success is thanks to our players and fans, and all the mistakes are my responsibility.

“I am convinced that Korean football will overcome adversity and reach great heights once again, as it always has.”

South Korea's soccer superstar Son Heung-min apologized for the team’s performance in a long social media post where he said he was “indescribably hurt” and eager to “win the hearts” of the nation once again.

The day after Hong stood down as South Korea's coach, Yasser Al-Misehal quit as Saudi Arabia Football Federation president as the team fell at the first hurdle at its seventh appearance.

“The national team’s failure to qualify for the next round of the World Cup ⁠is a result that falls short of all our ambitions,” Al-Misehal wrote on social media. “I bear full responsibility for it, apologizing to everyone who hoped to see our team in a better position.”

Teams from within the Asian Football Confederation managed just three wins in 29 matches at the expanded 48-team World Cup. Of the nine representatives, only Australia and Japan advanced from the group stage. Iran was unbeaten but three draws were not quite enough to take the team into the knockout stage.

Australia and Japan were eliminated in the round of 32, the very first stage of knockouts.

The Socceroos, the AFC's last hope, lost in a penalty shootout to Egypt. Australia head coach Tony Popovic's job was already safe after he signed a contract extension on the eve of his team’s opening win over Turkey.

Japan was the best performer with a 4-0 win over Tunisia 4-0 and draws with the Netherlands and Sweden to place second in its group. Then after leading Brazil 1-0 at halftime, the Samurai Blue lost to a 96th minute goal from the five-time champion.

“Through the three group-stage matches and the hard-fought game against Brazil, I sensed that what we have built can compete on the world stage,” coach Hajime Moriyasu said. “If we continue this growth steadily, a day will come when we can be the best in the world.”

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, warned that there's a lot of work to do for the rest to catch up.

“While we celebrate our two qualified teams, we must also look realistically at the overall outcomes,” Salman said of the knockout stages of the tournament. “Our teams are making strides and displaying great fighting spirit, the gap at the absolute top tier remains tight, and we must continue to work hard to bridge it.”

South Korea’s run to the semifinals in 2002 remains the continent’s benchmark at the men’s World Cup. Japan has lost four times in the knockout stages and Australia is 0-3 in World Cup knockout games.

Jordan lost all three games on its World Cup debut and parted ways with coach Jamal Sellami on Sunday. Sellami took the job in 2024 and helped Jordan secure its first World Cup qualification in June 2025.

There is still speculation about the future of the Qatar and Iraq coaches after both teams finished bottom of their respective groups.

Uzbekistan also failed to collect a single point in its first appearance at the global tournament but coach Fabio Cannavaro is set to stay.

Uzbekistan's last loss was to Congo, one of nine African nations to advance from the group stage.

“All my players realized just how difficult it is to play at this level,” Cannavaro, who was captain of the World Cup-winning Italy team in 2006 title, said. “We gained valuable experience — not just the players, but myself, our staff and the federation as well.

“I hope this experience will give us more motivation for the future.”

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Iraq coach Graham Arnold, top right, speaks with his team during a hydration break in the World Cup Group I soccer match between Senegal and Iraq in Toronto, Friday, June 26, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

South Korea's soccer head coach Hong Myung-bo, center, who has resigned following the team's early elimination from the World Cup, arrives at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Soccer fans hold a banner showing an image of South Korea's soccer head coach Hong Myung-bo, who has resigned, as they wait for his arrival following the team's early elimination from the World Cup soccer tournament, at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. The signs read "Hong Myung-bo! Spit the money and get out! Dismantle Korea Football Association". (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Australia's Jordan Bos (5) reacts after Egypt score the opening goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Australia and Egypt in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

A Japan supporter reacts after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Brazil and Japan in Houston, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, opened the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday in a politically volatile event that will unfold with the backdrop of her bitter political feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

More than 6,000 police officers, including anti-riot squads, were deployed to secure the Senate, where about 400 anti-Duterte demonstrators converged, chanting “convict Sara now.” Duterte did not appear but was represented by her lawyers at the start of the trial, which will run for 92 days, according to a pretrial plan seen by The Associated Press.

If convicted of the charges, which include amassing unexplained wealth and publicly threatening to have Marcos assassinated, Duterte may be permanently disqualified from holding public office. She denies the charges.

A conviction would be a lethal blow to her announced plan to seek the presidency in mid-2028, when Marcos ends his six-year term. They were running mates in the 2022 elections in a whirlwind alliance that combined the vote-getting power of two of the country’s most formidable political dynasties, but the union rapidly fell apart.

The vice president is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos’ predecessor. He was arrested last year on orders of the International Criminal Court and flown to The Hague, where he remains detained and was scheduled to face trial over alleged crimes against humanity on Nov. 30.

The charges stem from the ex-president’s brutal anti-drugs crackdowns that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead, alarming Western governments and human rights groups. Rodrigo Duterte has denied authorizing extrajudicial killings but repeatedly threatened suspects with death while in office.

The vice president has blamed Marcos for her 81-year-old father’s arrest and handover to the ICC.

Marcos and the Dutertes have contrasting geopolitical leanings. Marcos has expanded defense engagements with the United States, his country’s treaty ally, as his administration stood up to China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea.

Rodrigo Duterte had nurtured cozy ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin while threatening to sever ties with Washington. The vice president has come under fire for not condemning China’s assaults, including with the use of powerful water cannons, against Filipino forces and fishermen in the disputed waters.

Last month, the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos’ allies, voted overwhelmingly to impeach the vice president over alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential state funds and a public threat to have the president, his wife and a former House speaker and ally assassinated if she herself were killed due to their political disputes.

She has generally denied the charges but has refused to publicly answer the allegations in detail ahead of the impeachment trial. Her supporters have accused Marcos and his key aides of politically persecuting the vice president and her senatorial allies to ensure her impeachment.

Two-thirds of the 24-member Senate, or 16 votes, are needed to convict the vice president.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who belongs to a Senate bloc backing the Duterte family, was arrested and detained last month on a nonbailable charge of plunder in connection with a flood-control project bribery scandal. Estrada denies any wrongdoing.

Another pro-Duterte senator, Rodante Marcoleta, was arrested Monday over a nonbailable charge of plunder, or largescale graft, for receiving huge campaign donations and failing to declare the funds in his assets declaration. Marcoleta has denied committing any irregularity.

A third senator, Ronald dela Rosa, has gone into hiding after the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest as a co-perpetrator in the Duterte-era killings. Dela Rosa served as Rodrigo Duterte’s national police chief, who first enforced the then-president’s deadly crackdown against illegal drugs.

Joeal Calupitan in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.

FILE -Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte gestures as she speaks during a press conference in Manila, Philippines on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe, File)