Could this have led to a sloppy performance?
Prior to the Asian Cup soccer semifinal against Jordan, a physical fight broke out between the South Korean national team’s captain, Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (23, Paris Saint-Germain), and some of the younger players after a heated argument. It has been reported that Son played with his finger taped during the match because it had been dislocated during the altercation.
Tottenham player Son suffered a dislocated finger during a dispute with his teammates at dinner on the night before the semi-final, according to a report by The Sun. The Korea Football Association confirmed the incident, saying that it did take place.
On the day before the semifinal match, some of the younger players, including Lee Kang-in, Jeong Woo-young (25, Stuttgart), and Seol Young-woo (26, Ulsan), left the team dinner early and were playing table tennis.
According to The Sun’s report and the Football Association’s account, Son was unpleasant with their decision to leave the team dinner, which is a time to foster unity, and believed that it was too early for them to engage in personal activities. This led to an argument between Son and the juniors.
Son was angered by the juniors’ disrespectful attitudes and grabbed Lee by the collar. In response, Lee punched back, which resulted in a scuffle that caused Son to injure his finger. Other players intervened to separate them during the fight.
As a result, Son played in a match against Jordan on Feb. 7, despite having an injured finger. He had white tape wrapped around his right index and middle fingers.
According to an insider from the football community, there was a conflict during the tournament between Son, Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee, who grew up in Spain. The insider cited cultural differences as the cause of the conflict.
After the incident, the senior players spoke to Coach Klinsmann and asked him to exclude Lee from the starting lineup against Jordan. However, Klinsmann did not grant their request.
There is an ongoing conflict between the older and younger generations in the South Korean national football team, which has been a long-standing issue in the football community.
The players are divided into three groups: the 30s group, which includes Son, Kim Young-gwon (34, Ulsan), Kim Jin-su (32, Jeonbuk), and Lee Jae-sung (32, Mainz); the 96-born group, which includes Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom (28, Red Star); and the early 20s group, which includes Lee Kang-in, Jeong Woo-yeong, Seol Young-woo, Oh Hyun-gyu (23, Celtic), Yang Hyun-jun (22, Celtic), Kim Ji-soo (20, Brentford). It is reported that the players tend to stick to their respective groups during training.
Another issue is the divide between players who play domestically and those who play overseas. This gap was highlighted last November, when the players belonging to foreign team chartered a flight back to Korea at their own expense after a World Cup qualifying match against China. Moreover, during the training for the Asian Cup, there was an incident that a striker belonging to an European team kicked the ball to a K-League defender, reasoning the domestic team player’s aggressiveness during the play.
Also, a dispute between two players surfaced when Kim Min-jae unfollowed Son on instagram after Son posted a message expressing honor in being selected for the national team in Mar. 2023.
After media reports created a controversy, Lee Kang-in posted an apology on Instagram. He stated that he was sorry for letting down the football fans who support the national team due to a dispute with Son before the Asian Cup semifinal.
Lee wrote that he should have taken guidance from the senior players and led by example. Further, he expressed regret for displaying an unfavorable side to the fans and apologized to everyone who was disappointed in him. However, he did not apologize directly to Son or other team members involved in the altercation, which has led to further speculation.
