Even the real ability of national soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who volunteered to be a manager rather than a strategist, is now unreliable.
Looking back, it was impossible for Klinsmann to win the Asian Cup from the beginning. The British media “The Sun” reported the team’s discord during the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup.
“He dislocated his finger while having a physical fight with his teammates at dinner just one day before the semifinal match against Jordan,” said The Sun. Son has been playing with white taping on his right middle finger and index finger since the match against Jordan. The same happened in the 24th round of the English Premier League against Brighton and Hove Albion in the 2023-24 season after returning to Tottenham.
According to The Sun, young players left their seats to play table tennis after finishing their meal. Considering the meal as a time for team unity, Son criticized the young players. Then, young players who wanted to play table tennis protested and divided into groups by age, leading to physical struggle. Son seriously injured his finger while currying players who got tangled.
The Korea Football Association was also quick to acknowledge Dusun’s report. “We received reports that players had a quarrel during the tournament. There was friction between Son and some players, and I injured my finger then,” a source from the Korea Football Association said. “However, it was not a physical collision. I injured my finger while shaking off.” The name of Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) was mentioned among the young players who confronted Son, which sparked controversy among the players.
In the end, it was confirmed that an unusual team atmosphere was detected during the camp for more than a month while preparing for the Asian Cup. In addition to the clash between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, the national team was divided into senior, middle and youngest members during the tournament, leading to several cases of friction. After the table tennis incident, senior players visited Klinsmann and asked him to exclude Lee Kang-in in the semifinals against Jordan.
As the controversy grew, Lee Kang-in said on his personal social networking service (SNS), “I was very disappointed with the soccer fans who always support the national team. I’m so sorry. I had to take the lead and follow the older members’ words well, but I ended up showing a bad performance to the soccer fans. I apologize to many people who would have been disappointed with me. I am well aware of your interest and expectations. I will try to become a better player and a better person from now on.”
As the scandal surrounding the national team is unprecedented, inaccurate news is spreading like hot cakes. Above all, the Korea Football Association immediately recognized the internal strife within the national team and announced new facts in the name of high-ranking officials, which sparked countless rumors in a short time. There were specific names saying that they had a quarrel with the national team on the community, and unconfirmed conversations between specific players became known as true. 꽁머니지급
With so many players with strong self-esteem, there have always been factions, big and small, if not just the current national team. It is the coaching staff who take charge of the national team to seal the situation well. Moreover, since his inauguration, Klinsmann has been highly rated as a manager who is more manageable than a tactical one. Though he was questionable whether he would be a good coach, he took the helm by saying that he understands each individual’s unique characteristics and has ample experience to bring together a series of elements to create harmony.