Former coach Jurgen Klinsmann (60) has to heal the scratch he scratched.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, will start training at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 20th.
The team convened a meeting at a hotel located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday. After the meeting, the team held its first training session at Goyang Stadium from 4 p.m. to prepare for the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup against Thailand.
The match between Thailand and Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 21st is the third Group C match of the second Asian regional qualifying round for the World Cup, and the fourth match of the away match on the 26th. South Korea, which belongs to a group with Thailand, China, and Singapore, has secured six points by beating Singapore 5-0 and China 3-0 in November last year.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Hwang In-beom (Zvezda) returned home via Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 18th. Hong Hyun-suk (Hent), Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan), and Lee Kang-in (PSG) became the “complete” team with 23 players as they stepped on Korean soil on the 19th.
Everyone except Lee Kang-in participated in the closed training session on Wednesday. Son Heung-min, Cho Kyu-sung, Hwang In-beom, Baek Seung-ho and Hong Hyun-suk went to recovery training, while 17 others went to normal training sessions.
Until now, before the Asian Cup is completed and the convocation in March, the A team has continued to have controversies and suspicions surrounding it.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who had played a poor game throughout the Asian Cup, has been replaced. On the 16th of last month, KFA Chairman Chung Mong-kyu announced Klinsmann’s replacement as a direct presenter.
At the time, Chairman Chung said, “Coach Klinsman failed to show what we expected, such as game management, player management, and working attitude, that bring out the competitiveness of the national team.”
Klinsman’s replacement was not the only problem to be solved. The issue of players’ discord also erupted. The friction between the team’s “captain” Son Heung-min and key midfielder Lee Kang-in is known.
Son’s finger taping was first discovered in the AFC Asian Cup semifinal match between Korea and Jordan on June 6. Son appeared in the match with his right middle finger and index finger taped. 유흥알바
Last month, The Sun exclusively reported, “As far as this newspaper understood, some young Korean squad players woke up early to enjoy table tennis after finishing their dinner quickly. This caused problems.”
The media said, “The captain of the national team, Son Heung-min, expressed his dissatisfaction with the young players who leave the meal early, which is used as an opportunity to unite the team.” Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was also one of the “young players” Son Heung-min complained about.
Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in met in person and reconciled. Lee Kang-in contacted Son Heung-min first and later went to London in person.