South Korea have reached the Asian Cup knockout rounds, but coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been criticized for everything from his tactics to his smile and captain Son Heung-min said the players have faced abuse.
The South Koreans take on Saudi Arabia in the last 16 tomorrow with a toxic atmosphere threatening to envelop the team after a shaky start to their bid for a first Asian title in 64 years.
An opening 3-1 win over Bahrain in Qatar was followed by a 2-2 draw with Jordan that saw Klinsmann’s side need an injury-time own goal to salvage a point.
Photo: AFP
Worse was to come when they conceded a last-gasp equalizer in a 3-3 draw with Malaysia — ranked 130th in the world — to finish as runners-up in Group E behind Bahrain.
Tottenham Hotspur star Son said after the game that “comments that cross the line” had been aimed at his teammates.
“It really hurts as a teammate to see the boys in pain,” Son said.
Striker Cho Gue-sung in particular has faced criticism after missing a string of chances in three goalless appearances.
The 26-year-old gained huge popularity among South Korean female fans following the 2022 World Cup and the Denmark-based attacker has appeared in celebrity television shows.
Now he is accused of not concentrating on soccer and his Instagram account has been flooded with hundreds of critical comments.
However, fans and media have reserved their strongest ire for the German legend Klinsmann, who could be seen grinning on the bench after Malaysia scored their 105th-minute equalizer.
“It was a day of shame for Korean football,” the JoongAng newspaper said on Friday of the draw with a team that was already eliminated.
A World Cup winner as a player, Klinsmann has faced heavy criticism ever since taking charge a year ago.
His refusal to live in South Korea has been a major bone of contention, as have his tactics, team selections and previous managerial record.
Freelance soccer writer Hong Jae-min, who is covering the team in Qatar, said some South Korean fans view Klinsmann with “hatred.”
“Korean football fans don’t like him and don’t support him,” he said. “Klinsmann is always smiling. Even after he lost, or he drew against Malaysia — they conceded three goals and he still smiled.”
“He sat on the bench throughout the game and just smiled,” the JoongAng said.
Klinsmann admitted to being “a little bit angry” after the Malaysia game, but he has remained relentlessly upbeat throughout the tournament.
His sunny demeanor stands out even more when he is in the presence of stern-faced assistant Cha Du-ri, who often stalks the touchline barking instructions to the players.
Klinsmann told reporters after the Malaysia game that he saw “a lot of positives.”
“It was actually really OK apart from those two goals,” the 59-year-old said. “It is what it is.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS