Son Heung-min and South Korea teammates say internal rift is resolved
Five senior players apologised to fans after local media reported a split in the national team following its World Cup group-stage exit.
South Korea captain Son Heung-min and four other senior players said on Thursday they had put their differences aside, after local media reported bitter divisions inside the national team, CNA and the South China Morning Post reported.
The reports came out after South Korea's group-stage exit at the World Cup, which both outlets described as hugely disappointing. Coach Hong Myung-bo, whom the outlets called unpopular, quit after the tournament.
According to CNA, the reported split involved Son, 34, and some of the other players, including Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae. After the group held talks, Son and Kim issued a joint statement to fans with Lee Jae-sung, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan.
"First of all we would like to sincerely apologise to the Korean public and football fans for the concern caused by recent reports concerning the national team," the statement said, as quoted by CNA.
The players said they had met to share their thoughts on the national team "openly and honestly". They said that listening directly to one another and discussing matters they had not had enough chance to address gave them a better understanding of each other's positions.
The talks also looked at what went wrong at the World Cup, and the players admitted they were still hurting from the experience. "Our discussions began with the question of what needs to change to ensure that we do not repeat the same mistakes," they said. They added that they now intended to "put unnecessary controversy behind us and focus on building a stronger national team together".
Spanish coach Robert Moreno replaced Hong on an interim basis. CNA reported that his contract is set to expire this month.
South Korea play Saudi Arabia in Qatar on Friday, followed by a friendly against Qatar four days later. The matches were originally planned as preparation for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. CNA reported that the tournament was postponed last week to December next year.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Son Heung-min, key South Korean players resolve internal divisions at heart of national team; CNA, Son Heung-min says divisions at heart of South Korea team resolved.
