Son of Heung-min (right) and Lee Kang-in. /Getty Images Korea Son Heung-min (right) and Lee Kang-in. /Getty Images Korea
[마이데일리 = 노찬혁 기자]Thai media expressed caution regarding Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in of the Korean national team.
Thailand’s ‘Siam Sports’ expressed disappointment on the 14th (Korea time) when “Korea called up star players Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in to preliminary World Cup squad despite scuffle in Asia Cup.” Korea and Thailand will meet on the 21st. “We will face each other in two 2026 World Cup qualifiers to be held in Seoul and Bangkok on the 1st and 26th.”
The Korean national team is preparing for the ‘2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup 2nd Asia Region Qualifying Match’ against Thailand at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 21st. On the 26th, they will move to Bangkok, Thailand and play another qualifier against Thailand. Both games are very important for both teams to perform well in Group C.
The Korean national team received disappointing results in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup held in February. To win the title for the first time in 64 years, foreign players such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, and Cho Kyu-sung were summoned, but in the end they left . bitter after losing 0-2 in the semi-final against Jordan.
There were repeated poor performances in every game, and it was a tournament where the incompetence of coach Jurgen Klinsmann was exposed. To make matters worse, divisions arose within the national team. Before the semi-final against Jordan, Son Heung-min, the captain of the Korean national team, and Kang-in Lee, the youngest player, got into an argument.
The day before the semi-final against Jordan, I tried to play table tennis with some players after lunch. Captain Son Heung-min stopped this for the sake of the game, and a fight broke out in the process. Son Heung-min suffered a dislocated finger and the Korean national team lost 0-2 to Jordan in their worst performance. Public opinion has formed that he should not be selected in the March A game.
Director Hwang Seon-hong ultimately decided to go with Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. Coach Hwang announced the A-Tuesday match roster and the U23 Olympic team roster at 11am on the 11th at the Gwanghwamun Soccer Center in Seoul. The names of Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in were included in the A game list.
In fact, director Hwang Seon-hong has already worked with Lee Kang-in once. Coach Hwang chose Lee Kang-in at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China in September last year, and they won a gold medal together. This time too, Coach Hwang chose Lee Kang-in and gave him the opportunity to work with Son Heung-min.
Son of Heung-min (right) and Lee Kang-in. /Getty Images Korea
Director Hwang said, “I spoke directly with Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. “Lee Kang-in wants a sincere apology to fans and football players, and I think Son Heung-min should also accept this,” he said. “Instead, I would like to ask if it was just a problem for the two players. It was a problem for all the members, including the staff, “Everyone must take responsibility. As a football player, I also want to say sorry to the fans and I will prepare for the future with a mindset of reconciliation,” he said.
He then emphasized that exclusion from the assembly list is not the only solution. Director Hwang said, “Me, the director makes the decision entirely. I don’t believe this problem will be solved just because we don’t pick it this time and move it to the next time. There are many situations. From a player’s experience, various problems can arise within a team. “It is important to resolve this quickly and come together as one team to become stronger,” he stressed.
From the Thai national team’s point of view, bad news came as they had to suspend key players Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. Thailand’s FIFA ranking is 101st, 79 levels below the Korean national team, which is 22nd. Even objectively, it is a difficult power gap, but the possibility of victory has diminished with Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, who play key roles at Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint- Germain, joins the national team.
Siam Sports said, “Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in will still play for the Korean national team in the World Cup qualifiers against Thailand. Both players are still key players in the Korean national team despite the 2023 Asian Cup scandal. If they are not called up, they will face the two Korean stars “It could have been a big advantage for Thailand because not doing that would have increased’ r chance of victory,” he added.
Reporter Noh Chan-hyuk nochanhyuk@mydaily.co.kr
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