Fans' Unwavering Cheers Poured in for Lee Kang-in... Aftermath of Internal Strife
Amid the aftermath of the Asian Cup, the first domestic A match of the year sold out... ‘Association responsibility’ public opinion boils over
Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), who was involved in the national team internal dispute that has heated up the soccer world since last month, washed away the aftermath of 'Table Tennis Gate' with the continued support of fans.
On the 21st, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the 2024 national soccer team's first domestic A match, a match against Thailand in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifying round, was held. 파워볼사이트
It was also the national team's first game after suffering severe aftermath after being eliminated by Jordan with a score of 0-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held in Qatar on the 7th of last month.
In addition to the poor performance of being eliminated from the Asian Cup, the 'next-generation star' of the national team, Lee Kang-in, attempted to play table tennis with some teammates on the day before the semi-finals and physically collided with captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who stopped him, causing fans to be belatedly known. It received strong criticism.
The poor management of the team by coach Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany), who had already been embroiled in calls for his dismissal, was revealed, ultimately leading to a breakup, and Olympic team Coach Hwang Sun-hong took charge of the 'temporary command tower' and prepared for this international match.
Attention was focused on whether Lee Kang-in would be selected, and Director Hwang included both Son Heung-min and him in the list, saying, "I don't think this problem will be resolved by calling him next time (rather than calling him this time)."
As the situation escalated, Lee Kang-in went to London and personally apologized to Son Heung-min, and before the official training on the 20th, Lee Kang-in expressed his reflection, saying, "I am so sorry for not being able to repay your support and disappointing you."
He played the game on the bench that day it started.
When Lee Kang-in, who was included in the substitute list during the pre-game player introductions, was called into the stadium, the fans erupted in cheers as loud as before.
When the starting list was announced, Son Heung-min drew the loudest cheers, and among the replacement players, the voices for Lee Kang-in were loudest.
Due to the recent disappointing performance of the national team, there were voices among fans calling for a 'boycott' of on-site cheering ahead of this game, but the enthusiasm for cheering continued as 60,000 tickets were sold out early.
Banners such as 'Just put your head down and run, we'll cheer you on' were hung in the cheering area to encourage the players.
However, as unpleasant incidents continued in the national team and the association, including the failure to win the Asian Cup, public opinion grew that Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu should be 'responsible', and this atmosphere was felt even in the stands that day.
Just before the start of the game, signs saying 'We condemn the irresponsible association' and 'KFA does not belong to Chung Mong-gyu' appeared in the cheering stands, and fans, including the national team supporters Red Devils, chanted 'Chung Mong-gyu get out!'
Every time a game-related feed was posted on the national team's social media operated by the association, there was a series of comments saying 'Chung Mong-gyu is out'.
