Former men’s national soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann mentioned the internal struggle during the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar.
After Korea was lethargicly eliminated in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup in Qatar in February, foreign media reported that there was a dispute within the national team on the eve of the match. The main content was that there was a conflict between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, and that Son Heung-min injured his finger due to a physical conflict. The Korea Football Association (KFA) also admitted the fact in a big way.
The dispute between the top star players of the national team continued for a while, but it began to end as Lee Kang-in visited Son Heung-min, apologized, and Son accepted. The two players, who met again in the national team during the A match in March, showed that they completely sealed the conflict on the field. They collaborated to score in an away match in Thailand and shared a hot hug and enjoyed the joy together. After the game, Son Heung-min praised Lee Kang-in, saying, “He deserves the love of the fans.”
About a month later, however, Klinsmann brought it up. Klinsmann, who claimed at a meeting of the Korea Football Association’s power reinforcement committee right after the Asian Cup that the fight on the eve of the match affected his defeat in the semifinals, mentioned the incident again, explaining why he was dismissed for the first time in a year in Korea.
Appearing on Austrian media Servus TV with former Korean head coach Andreas Herzog, he said, “The two star players had a physical fight the day before the quarterfinal match, and suddenly the team’s atmosphere was ruined. It was unbelievable.”
Klinsmann pointed out both Son and Lee Kang-in. “In Korean culture, we learned that elders are always right. Even when they get it wrong. Lee Kang-in, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), is a younger brother and made rude remarks to his brother, Tottenham Hotspur captain. Son took it seriously. They collided with each other, and in the process, Son dislocated his finger. This happened during the dinner time and our competition ended,” he said.
“Some brokered and I had conversations with the players the next day as well. But I no longer felt any team spirit. Everyone was shocked and there was no interaction. That’s how we lost the semi-final,” he said, blaming the loss in the semifinal match against Jordan on the conflict among the players. 룸알바
Klinsmann, who evaluated Korea as a team that could advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, claimed that he worked hard overseas and made good results at the Asian Cup, but was dismissed somewhat unfairly. “In Korean culture, someone had to take responsibility. The players were needed for the next tournament, so the responsibility was up to the coaching staff,” he said.