Hwang Hee-chan Included in Final Squad Despite Injury... No Changes to Bento's Roster

Hwang Hee-chan of the national soccer team, who suffered a hamstring injury, is seen walking around the training ground excluded from the official training held on the morning of the 23rd (local time) at Al Egla training ground in Doha, Qatar, one day before the first group stage match against Uruguay in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] With Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) unlikely to play in the match against Uruguay, Coach Bento has decided to keep the final 2022 Qatar World Cup roster unchanged.

On the 23rd (Korean time), the Korea Football Association announced, "There are no changes to the World Cup team roster." They added, "Regardless, Oh Hyun-kyu will continue to participate with the team until the conclusion of the tournament."

The South Korean national team, led by Paulo Bento, is set to face Uruguay in the first group stage match of Group H at 10 PM on the 24th at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

The 32 participating countries submitted their final 26-player rosters to FIFA on the 14th. According to tournament regulations, even after submitting the final roster, a player can be replaced if they suffer a serious injury or illness that prevents them from playing.

However, such replacements must be made no later than 24 hours before the team's first match in the tournament.

Since joining the national team, Hwang Hee-chan has been unable to fully participate in team training due to a hamstring muscle issue. Ultimately, it became difficult for him to play against Uruguay.

At a press conference that day, Coach Bento stated, "Hwang Hee-chan will not be able to play tomorrow." Nevertheless, since it is not a serious injury, the team plans to wait for Hwang Hee-chan's recovery without making any player changes.

Meanwhile, although not included in the final roster, Oh Hyun-kyu (Suwon), who joined as a reserve member, will also participate in Bento's training camp in Qatar.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.