We know a little more about the reasons for South Korea's failure in the Asian Nations Cup.
The locker room of one of the competition's favorite selections fell apart, particularly before playing against Jordan in the semi-final.
Tottenham star striker Heung-min Son even injured a finger during an altercation with teammates from his team, the Korean federation announced on Wednesday.
The South Korea captain appeared with the index and middle fingers of his right hand strapped during the surprise 2-0 defeat of the Korean favorites, the 23rd nation in the world, against Jordan, 87th, last week.
On Wednesday, the federation confirmed that this injury was due to a fight between players.
Kang-In Lee allegedly tried to hit Son
“The incident occurred when young players went to play table tennis (in the middle of dinner, editor's note) and Son Heung-min and other more experienced players complained,” a representative said. of the federation cited by the Korean news agency Yonhap, confirming information from the British newspaper The Sun.
According to The Sun, PSG player Lee Kang-in would be particularly involved in this altercation.
The Parisian, absent against Real Sociedad in the Champions League, also apologized in a story on his Instagram account without giving details of the incident.
According to several media outlets, when some players left the table, Son and other older players asked them to sit down, considering that meals on the eve of important matches were a moment of cohesion.
Lee Kang-in admitted that there were 'verbal argument' between him and Son Heung-min and apologized for it on his Instagram story.
Until this moment, there are no further official comments from KFA about the issue between players, or about Klinsmann's issue.
pic.twitter.com/ZkwIe7yPf3
— Sungmo Lee (@Sungmo_Lee) February 14, 2024
“Disrespectful remarks were made towards him,” an unidentified source told The Sun.
“Within seconds, the argument spilled into the dining room and the players were separated,” the source continued.
“Son injured his finger trying to calm everyone down.”
The attacker notably grabbed the 22-year-old Parisian midfielder Lee who then tried to hit his 31-year-old captain, according to the Yonhap agency, citing a source familiar with the incident.
Back in England, Son still had his bandage when he came on for Tottenham last Saturday against Brighton (2-1).
After the disappointment against Jordan, the fate of German coach Jürgen Klinsmann must be decided at a meeting of the federation on Thursday.