A Champions in the Classroom
"I know all about what happens on the pitch but little of what goes on behind the scenes." To fill this gap Park Ji-Sung, who in his career has worn the jerseys among others of Manchester United (with whom he won the Champions League in 2008), PSV and QPR and was captain of the South Korean national team, is now in Milan, in the SDA Bocconi classrooms, to follow one of the modules of the FIFA Master in Management, Law & Humanities of Sport.
"When I finished playing I realized that the role of coach was not for me. But I wanted to stay in the world of football, especially with the ambition to help it develop further, and increase its competitiveness, in my South Korea and more generally in Asia, " says Park Ji-Sung. "In Asia football has made great strides and has great potential but a certain gap with Europe and South America still exists."
To acquire the managerial know-how Park Ji-Sung has chosen the FIFA Master in Management, Law & Humanities of Sport, coordinated by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) of FIFA, which takes place through three modules at SDA Bocconi (with the coordination of Dino Ruta), De Montfort University and the University of Neuchâtel. Now in its 16th edition, the master specifically aims to develop the skills for aspiring managers then able to face the complex challenges of the world of sports today.
"This program is ideal for improving one's knowledge of the world and the business of sport and the organizations which operate in it," says Park Ji-Sung. "At Leicester we studied historical and social aspects, here in the SDA we are analyzing aspects of marketing, management and leadership and in Switzerland we will study sports law. This study path will provide us with the big picture of this world. "
"I also hope that my professional experience can be useful in some way to the rest of my fellow students," adds Park. "One thing that for sure I have taken away from my experience is the example of Sir Alex Ferguson and his great ability to combine the role of coach and manager and to manage his collaborators."
Park Ji-Sung also hopes to learn some useful skills to develop the work of his foundation, the JS Foundation, which raises funds to invest in infrastructure to help underprivileged children in South East Asia to discover the joys of playing football.
Along the way the Master also gives opportunity to meet leaders of sports organizations, in the classroom or through visits. And so recently Park Ji-Sung returned to San Siro where he had already been protagonist on the pitch in various Champions League matches. "As a player you see just the changing rooms. It was very useful this time to see all of the behind the scenes of such an iconic stadium. "