A public apology on social media “I will help my brothers and become a better player and person.”
Lee Kang-in protests against soccer death
The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup semifinal match between Korea and Jordan held at Al Rayyan Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Qatar on the 6th (local time). Lee Kang-in is appealing to the referee, who called the match with Jordan’s Mohammad Abu Hashish a foul, saying there was no physical contact.
Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), the protagonist of the controversy over the national team’s ‘infighting’ that is sweeping Korean soccer, publicly apologized to the fans.
On the 14th, Lee Kang-in said through social networking service (SNS), “There was an article reporting that he had an argument with Son Heung-min ahead of the Asian Cup semifinals,” and “I have caused great disappointment to the soccer fans who always support our national team. “I am truly sorry,” he said.
He continued, “I should have taken the lead and followed my brothers’ words, but I am sorry for showing a bad image to soccer fans,” and added, “I apologize to the many people who were disappointed in me.”
He added, “I am well aware of the interest and expectations that soccer fans have for me. From now on, I will try to help my brothers become a better player and a better person.”
Klinsmann, who was evaluated as having the best player composition among all national teams, was sent packing after losing 0-2 to Jordan in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup.
It was first reported on the 14th by the British newspaper The Sun that Lee Kang-in had a physical conflict with national team captain Son Heung-min during dinner the day before the Jordan match.
According to the Yonhap News coverage, Lee Kang-in was stopped by captain Son Heung-min while playing table tennis noisily after finishing dinner early with Seol Young-woo (Ulsan) and Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart).
In the process, when Son Heung-min became enraged and grabbed him by the collar, Lee Kang-in responded by punching him. Son Heung-min’s finger was dislocated while other players were trying to separate the two.
Afterwards, it was reported that senior players visited coach Jurgen Klinsmann and requested that Lee Kang-in be excluded from the match against Jordan.
Despite this request, Coach Klinsmann did not exclude Lee Kang-in, who has established himself as the core of the national team’s attack, and let him play normally.
Lee Kang-in, who returned to his team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG, France) after completing the national team schedule, is about to face Real Sociedad (Spain) in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) in the 2023-2024 season.
Real Sociedad plays for Japanese national team player Takefusa Kubo, who is known to be a close friend of Lee Kang-in. The two teams will clash at 5 a.m. on the 15th.
Lee Kang-in apologized through SNS 고스톱
