The physical altercation that resulted in Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea captain Son Heung-min dislocating his finger has been brewing for weeks.
South Korea’s performance at the Asian Cup in Qatar has been very jarring over the past month or so, with divisions everywhere. Opinions are mixed among head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who is said to believe the team lacks team spirit, with disagreements among big-name players such as Son Heung-min, Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan and Paris Saints. – Teutonic’s Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich’s defender Kim Min-jae, as well as inexperienced players.
It is understood that 31-year-old captain Son Heung-min believes some young players are not taking part in the Asian Football Confederation’s quadrennial tournament, equivalent to the European Cup or Copa America, which South Korea has never participated in. Won ’64 – This was serious indeed, but someone like 22-year-old Lee rejected the suggestion.
A source close to one of the players revealed Competitor Last week, the group failed to perform in any of the six games, three of which were group matches and three of which were knockout matches. This was a 100% collective performance.
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It all came to a head last Monday, the night before the 2-0 semifinal loss to Jordan, when some of the younger players, including Lee, wanted to leave the team early to play table tennis.
Son objected and expressed his views strongly, which prompted an equally forthright response from Lee Myung-bak. Subsequently, a dispute broke out between several players, and Son Heung-min tried to break up the situation, causing a finger to be dislocated. Lee was allegedly pushed in the chest and reacted angrily.
Son’s fingers are tied while playing against Jordan after the incident the night before (Simon Holmes/Getty Images)
A spokesman for the Korean Football Association confirmed the altercation on Wednesday, telling Yonhap News Agency: “It happened when some young players came on stage to play table tennis, and Son Heung-min and other older players raised objections.”
“The players exchanged a few words and Son Heung-min hurt his finger in the process.”
Competitor The Korean Football Association has been contacted for further comment.
What happened next is disputed. It was suggested that some players told Klinsmann that Lee should be left out of the Final Four. Others have denied that this happened, for example Son is said to like Lee and has no issues with him. One view is that it is more about maintaining general standards and behaviour.
In any case, there is obviously a lot of resentment among the South Korean team participating in the Asian Cup. These revelations raise several questions.
The first is why the always conservative Korean Football Association confirmed the news so quickly. There are those at home who believe they are doing this to divert attention away from the hugely unpopular Klinsmann, whom most supporters want to sack after a rather dismal Asian Cup run. They reached the semi-finals but struggled to advance – drawing two of their three group games before winning one knockout game on penalties and another after extra time, both games with injuries. A stoppage-time equalizer came in – but it was never convincing.
Klinsmann faces some tough questions when he returns to South Korea (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)
“Are you going to resign?” This was the first question Klinsmann was asked at the post-match press conference. After the team returned home, Klinsmann held the match at Seoul’s Incheon Airport, where a shouting public had gathered.
Others believe the story was leaked by those who want the 59-year-old former Germany, Bayern and USA coach fired to show how out of control things have gotten on his watch.
Klinsmann, who took over less than a year ago, is thought to have been surprised by the lack of harmony and team spirit in the squad. He thought dramatic wins over Saudi Arabia and Australia might inspire his players to progress through the knockout rounds, but after a shock semi-final loss to Jordan he publicly suggested their opponents were more hungry than his players and Adding: “They want it more.”
Not only is Klinsmann under tremendous pressure, but so is the man who hired him, Korean Football Association Chairman Chung Mong-kyu. Chung was involved in the search, which eventually saw the former Germany, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern and Inter Milan striker get the job, wanting a big-name manager who could boost his country’s global profile and is said to be determined to see the project through. . The pair have met twice since Jordan’s defeat and both seemed keen to continue playing despite the public hostility. “Good question!” Klinsmann laughed when asked if he would resign.
at the same time, Competitor It was reported on Sunday that Klinsmann had undergone a very intense training session during the Asian Cup pre-training camp in Abu Dhabi. A source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their relationship, said the players were “exhausted” and “he absolutely beat them, they were exhausted”.
That was the backdrop to last Monday’s physical altercation, exacerbated by the fact that a team regarded as South Korea’s golden generation of players includes stars from Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Tottenham, as well as Wolves’ in-form Hwang. tension.
Lee (18) and Son (7) during South Korea’s Asian Cup group match against Malaysia (Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
Last Monday, the night before South Korea lost to Jordan, it was widely believed that South Korea was squandering its best chance to win the Asian Cup for the first time since 1960.
According to insiders, problems within the national team have been existing for some time. On that night, although the age hierarchy in Korean society was no longer as strict as it once was, the tradition of it being considered rude for younger players to get up and leave before older players could do so still existed. Finished the meal.
In a message posted on his Instagram Story on Wednesday, Lee said he would respect senior players more in the future: “There was an article saying that I had a verbal dispute with Son Heung-min before the Asian Cup semi-finals.
“I’m sorry to disappoint the fans who have always supported the Korean International Team.
“I have to follow the senior (older) players in the team, but I’m sorry that I didn’t behave well towards the fans.
“I apologize to all my fans who were disappointed in me.
“From now on, I’m going to try to be a better player and someone who helps the older players.”
Most South Korean fans sided with Son and the more experienced players, while Lee received a lot of criticism for this behavior towards the team captain who is nine years his senior. There is also a view that this is more a matter of general dysfunction within the national team than a personal issue.
In the long term, it’s too early to know how this will affect the players’ reputations or their desire to continue playing for their country. Klinsmann said on Sunday that Son Heung-min would “definitely” continue playing for South Korea.
Klinsmann himself will hold a meeting with the Korean Football Association on Thursday as the fallout from the Asian Cup exit continues. Reports in South Korea said members of the governing body will push for his resignation during the meeting. The German has two and a half years left on his contract until the 2026 World Cup and is now back home in the United States, where he will compete virtually.
South Korea may need to be the mother of all reconciliation efforts as they return to action in just over a month, with a World Cup qualifier at home against Thailand on March 21.
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Additional reporting: Jack Pitt-Brooke, Mario Cortegana, Tim Spiers
(Top photo: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
