Soccer team defender Kim Min-jae explained about the war of words with the audience.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong, drew 0-0 in the first round of the Asian regional qualifying round for the ‘2026 FIFA North-China World Cup’ against Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th.
It was a poor match. Korea increased its ball possession rate from the first half, but failed to target the Palestinian defense. It had only one effective shot in the first half. It had several chances in the second half. However, Oh Se-hoon’s header and Lee Kang-in’s free kick were blocked by the goalkeeper.
In the 43rd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min’s decisive shot was also hit by the post. Rather, in the extra time of the second half, the opponent striker Ali was given a one-on-one chance to lose a point, but Cho Hyun-woo defended himself. In the end, the match ended with 0-0.
The spectators booed Hong and Chung Mong-gyu, the president of the Korea Football Association, even before the game. There were loud cries of “Hong Myung-bo get out” and “Jung Mong-gyu get out” and even a hanger was criticized. When Hong was caught on the electronic display, the booing continued.
After the game, there was also a dizzying scene. Kim Min-jae was seen on the broadcast screen going to the stands behind the goal and having a war of words with fans.
Kim Min-jae met with reporters in the mixed zone (joint coverage area) and said, “I don’t think I brought the result because what I prepared didn’t come out well.”
He also explained about the collision with his fans. “I think they take it seriously, but I hope they cheer for me,” Kim said. “There are some people who come to my SNS and talk about it, but it’s not that we didn’t do well from the beginning. It was a shame that they didn’t want me to do well. It depends on my opinion, but it wasn’t a serious atmosphere at all,” Kim said.
In fact, according to a video released by some fans to the community, Kim Min-jae said, “Please support the players, please.” 메이저놀이터
Kim Min-jae then concluded the interview by saying, “Thank you for supporting me in a bad atmosphere. There was no aggressive intention of visiting the crowd. I should have played well, but I’m sorry I couldn’t, and I’ll do well in the next game and win.”