The physical altercation that left Tottenham and South Korea captain Son Heung-min with a dislocated finger had been going on for several weeks.
South Korea’s camp for the Asian Cup in Qatar last month was anything but harmonious, with divisions everywhere you looked. Manager Jurgen Klinsmann has divided opinion and is said to have believed there was a lack of team spirit in the group, with something of a divide between his big players such as Son, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan, Paris Saint-Germain. -Germain’s Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and the less experienced.
Son, the 31-year-old captain, is understood to have felt that some of the younger players weren’t involved in the tournament – the Asian confederation’s quadrennial equivalent to the Euros or Copa America and a competition South Korea hadn’t won in 64 years — seriously enough, while those like the 22-year-old Lee rejected this suggestion.
A source close to one of the players said The Athlete last week when the group failed to produce a single performance in their six matches, three in the group and three draws in the knockout stage, they were 100 per cent collectively.
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It all started last Monday, the night before their 2-0 semifinal loss to Jordan, when some of the younger players, including Lee, wanted to leave the team dinner early to play table tennis.
Sean objected to this and forcefully expressed his opinion, which elicited a similarly outspoken response from Lee. A multiplayer brawl ensued, in which Sean dislocated his finger trying to break things up. It has also been claimed that Lee was pushed in the chest and reacted angrily.
The son plays against Jordan with his fingers bandaged after the incident the night before (Simon Holmes/Getty Images)
A spokesman for the South Korean FA (KFA) confirmed that the fight had occurred, telling Yonhap news agency on Wednesday that: “It happened when some young players went to play table tennis and Son Heung-min and other older players had a disagreement. With this.
“The players exchanged a few words and Sean hurt his finger in the process.”
The Athlete contact KFA for further comment.
What happened next is disputed. It has been suggested that some in the team told Klinsmann that Lee should be withdrawn for the semi-final. Others have denied that this happened, and Sean, for example, is said to like Lee and have no issue with him. One view is that it was more about maintaining general standards and behaviors.
Either way, there is clearly a huge amount of malice among those involved for South Korea at the Asian Cup. And these revelations raise many questions.
The former is why the usually reserved KFA was so quick to confirm the story. It is suggested in the country that they did it to distract from the hugely unpopular Klinsmann, who most fans want to be sacked after a very dismal Asian Cup campaign. They reached the semi-finals but floundered there – drawing two of their three groups and then winning a knockout tie on penalties and another after extra-time, both scoring an equalizer in stoppage time – and were never convincing .
Klinsmann faced some tough questions on his return to Korea (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)
“Are you planning to resign?” was the first question put to Klinsmann at the post-tournament press conference held at Seoul’s Incheon Airport immediately after the team arrived at home to a packed crowd.
Others believe the story was leaked by those who want the 59-year-old former Germany, Bayern and United States coach sacked to show how out of control things have become on his watch.
Klinsmann, who was appointed only a year ago, is believed to have been surprised by the lack of harmony and team spirit in the group. He felt those dramatic wins against Saudi Arabia and Australia could have motivated the players as they progressed to the knockout rounds, but instead, after the shock defeat to Jordan in the semi-finals, he went public saying their opponents had more desire from his players, adding: “They wanted it more”.
There is a lot of pressure not only on Klinsmann but also on the man who hired him: KFA president Chung Mong-gyu. Chung entered the search that ended with the former Germany, Tottenham, Bayern and Inter Milan striker taking the job looking for a big-name coach to boost the country’s global profile, and is said to be determined to get the job done . The two men have met twice since the defeat in Jordan and both seem keen to continue, despite the public animosity. “Good question!” Klinsmann laughed when asked if he would resign.
In the meantime, The Athlete reported on Sunday that, during a camp ahead of the Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi, Klinsmann had very intense training sessions. A source with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said the players were “flabbergasted” and that it “absolutely hit them, they were exhausted”.
That was the context for last Monday’s physical brawl, with tensions further heightened by the fact that this team is seen as South Korea’s golden generation of players, including stars from PSG, Bayern and Spurs, as well as Hwang of Wolves.
Lee (18) and Son (7) during South Korea’s Asian Cup group match against Malaysia (Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
The sense that South Korea were missing their best chance in years for a first Asian Cup since 1960 pervaded the mood last Monday, the night before the loss to Jordan.
And, according to insiders, there have been stories of internal affairs within the national team for some time. On the night in question, while the age hierarchy of Korean society is not as strict as it once was, it is still a tradition that it is considered bad manners for the younger players to get up to leave before the older players have finished their meals.
Lee said he would respect footballers more in the future in a message posted on his Instagram on Wednesday: “There was an article about me having a verbal altercation with Son before the Asian Cup semi-final.
“I am very sorry to disappoint football fans who always support the South Korean international team.
“I had to follow senior (bigger) players in the team, but I’m sorry I didn’t show good behavior to the football fans.
“I apologize to all the fans who were disappointed with me.
“I will try to become a better player and person to help senior and older players from now on.”
The majority of South Korean fans side with Son and the more experienced players, and Lee has come under fire for treating the team captain, nine years his senior, in this manner. There is also the view that this is more about general dysfunction within the ethnic group than about individuals.
It is too early to know how it will affect the players’ reputation in the long term or their desire to continue playing for their country. Klinsmann said on Sunday that Son would “definitely” continue to play for Korea.
Klinsmann himself is due to hold a meeting with the KFA on Thursday as the fallout from the Asian Cup exit continues. Reports in South Korea suggest that members of the governing body will push for his resignation during the meeting. The German, who is under contract for another two and a half years until the 2026 World Cup, will actually attend as he is now back home in the US.
South Korea return to action in just over a month, in a World Cup qualifier at home on March 21 against Thailand, where they will probably have to be the mother of all reconciliation tasks.
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Additional reporting: Jack Pitt-Brooke, Mario Cortegana, Tim Spiers
(Top photo: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
