Hwang wants a ‘one team’ amid ‘internal chaos’
Head coach Hwang Sun-hong emphasizes ‘one team’
The South Korean national soccer team will take on Thailand at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on June 21 in the second Asian qualifier for the FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2026.
The Korea Football Association sacked Jürgen Klinsmann after the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, and the KFA decided to go with an interim coach for the March A-Match, with Hwang Sun-hong, the U-23 Olympic team’s head coach, taking the reins on an interim basis.
The mood in the national team has never been worse. First, Lee Kang-in was criticized for his conflict with captain Son Heung-min at the Asian Cup, which led to the Hagwak Sang controversy. Lee traveled to London to apologize to Son Heung-min in person, but the anger of soccer fans was not easily assuaged. In this situation, Hwang summoned both Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in to make amends.
More recently, there was a “gambling controversy” in which some players and officials of the Korean Football Association played gambling cards just before the Asian Cup. Naturally, there were a lot of complaints against the KFA and the players.
The national team convened for the first time on Nov. 18. Hwang prioritized cracking down on the internal atmosphere. On the first day, only domestic and some overseas players joined the squad, and the next day, Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in arrived.
At the official press conference held a day before the match, Hwang said, “We have an important game tomorrow. It’s an important game in many ways and we need to show a good performance. Our opponent is also a good team. We will do our best 토토 to win and reward our fans with the result.”
“It’s not a bad atmosphere. I told the players that we are playing at home and we have to show the fans a united front. We told them that we respect our opponents, but that it’s a game where our mindset can play a bigger role than theirs, so let’s prepare together. If we show that on the field, I think we’ll have a good result. It’s important to be united. I hope the fans will also open their hearts and unite together.”
About Thailand, he said, “They’re a very organized team, they’re technical. They are good on the counterattack. The opponent is important, but so are our abilities. The result will depend on how much we play as a team. It’s a home game, so we’ll have to play with a lot of confidence to win.”
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