Lee Sang-min (23, Seongnam FC), who had been disciplined for drunk driving in the past, was named to the Korean men's soccer team at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September this year, which is controversial.

 

Hwang Sun-hong, head coach of the national soccer team, announced the final list of 22 players to compete in the Asian Games on the 14th. A number of overseas players, including Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), Hong Hyun-seok (Hent), and Park Kyu-hyun (Dinamo Dresden), were listed.

 

On top of that, domestic players with senior experience in the national team, such as Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Um Won-sang (Ulsan Hyundai), and Cho Young-wook (Kimcheon Sangmu), were harmonized.

 

Caught and concealed drunk driving 3 years ago... "15 games suspended" disciplinary action

 

Coach Hwang Sun-hong expected a gold medal, saying he formed the best member, but controversy erupted in an unexpected place. Defender Lee Sang-min, who has a history of being caught by the police while driving under the influence of alcohol, was selected.

 

Former youth representative Lee Sang-min made his professional debut with a lot of attention, but in May 2020, he was caught by the police while driving under the influence of alcohol while playing in Asan K League 2 in Chungnam.

 

However, Lee Sang-min did not inform the club of this fact, and only after three more games, he belatedly reported it to the club and raised the situation. At that time, the Korea Professional Football Federation suspended Lee Sang-min from 15 official games and fined him 4 million won.

 

Lee Sang-min, who moved to Seongnam this season, has consistently played in games and also participated in the U-23 Asian Cup, drawing attention from coach Hwang Sun-hong. In international competitions with many variables, the "multi-player" ability to play both defenders and midfielders seems to have been highly evaluated.

 

Korea is a strong candidate for the gold medal. If you win a gold medal again, you can even receive military service benefits. In the past competitions, Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), and Kim Min-jae (Napoli) benefited.

 

However, even if the gold medal is important, there is a controversy over whether a player who covered it up because he did not drink and drive should participate in the national team and receive military service benefits.  

 

This is not the first time that the national team's "qualification" controversy has arisen. Just a month ago, Jurgen Klinsmann, who leads the adult national team, also selected Park Yong-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), who was disciplined for racist remarks, for the A match, sparking controversy.

 

Although it is a different event, the sports was community buzzed when a baseball team that participated in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March was also found to have drunk some players during the tournament. 토토

 

In the end, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has strengthened significantly at a board meeting held on the 12th, including a new rule that punishment for players' deviant behavior can be disqualified from the national team for more than a year.

 

Meanwhile, head coach Hwang Sun-hong is frowning soccer fans as he selects players with a history of drunk driving and concealment.