Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification.
South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story.
The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year.
Photo: AP
They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which they went out in the group phase of the World Cup in Brazil.
The 56-year-old’s return a decade later and the way the Korea Football Association (KFA) went about the dragged-out recruitment process went down badly with fans.
He was booed in his first game back and the jeers continued on Tuesday, even as the hosts celebrated qualification with a convincing 4-0 win over Kuwait in Seoul.
“There are people out there attacking and criticizing our head coach and the KFA,” the PSG midfielder Lee, who was on the scoresheet, told reporters. “But since we players are also part of the federation and the coach is our boss, people’s criticism also affects us if they get out of hand.”
“I’d like to ask people to see the more positive side of our team. That will help us play better at the World Cup,” he added. “I hope people will help us and keep supporting us.”
Hong has won six and drawn four of his 10 matches in his second spell, but performances have not always been convincing.
With skipper Son Heung-min struggling for form and fitness, South Korea passed up the chance to seal qualification sooner with 1-1 home draws against Jordan and Oman in March.
That came after a similarly flat 1-1 draw with Palestine in Amman, Jordan.
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