Cha Bum-kun: "It's fortunate that the national soccer team has a captain like Son Heung-min"

Advice on Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in Conflict in Asian Cup
“I Will Take the Blame for Not Explaining Cultural and Emotional Differences”

Legendary Korean footballer and former national team coach Cha Bum-kun (71) offered heartfelt advice to the younger Korean national football players who had conflicts during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.

On the 29th, Cha attended the 36th Cha Bum-kun Football Awards ceremony held at the HW Convention Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, as a presenter. He began by saying, "Today is one of the happiest days of the year," and added, "I want to have a serious conversation with the parents who raise football players."

[Photo by Cha Bum-geun Football Awards Committee]

At the recently held Asian Cup, the Korean national football team, featuring 'world-class' players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) who play overseas, challenged for the championship for the first time in 64 years but failed to advance to the final after losing in the semifinals. Subsequently, the leadership of head coach J?rgen Klinsmann (Germany) was criticized and he was dismissed. During this process, it was revealed that key members had conflicts the day before the semifinal match, sparking controversy.

Cha Bum-kun, who sparked the 'Cha Boom' craze while playing in Germany, said, "Having experienced both Eastern and Western football, the Asian Cup results weigh heavily on me. Properly resolving conflicts and frictions between different cultures and generations will be an important task for Korean football going forward."

He continued, "I felt proud seeing many players recently moving to Europe, but I was also worried that conflicts between generations experiencing different cultures needed to be resolved well. However, despite these concerns, there was a prevailing thought that we did not need to actively educate and could just step back and rest. Looking back now, I feel deeply ashamed of that mindset."

Recently, several players including Lee Kang-in have studied abroad from a young age and learned football overseas, playing in foreign leagues. Cha emphasized, "The younger generation may think that the humility and sacrifice emphasized in the East are old-fashioned and useless, but these human relationships are weapons and assets inherited by Koreans." He added, "This is also why Park Ji-sung and I, who succeeded in Europe, were loved." He said, "It is not good for children to lose that precious weapon. If children accidentally discard it, the adults nearby must pick it up and put it back into their hands."

He recalled, "I remember being shocked when a teammate angrily confronted the coach explaining tactics before training shortly after I first entered the German Bundesliga in 1979. Then I was even more surprised to see the coach and players proceed with training as if nothing had happened. For them, it was natural to actively express differing opinions beyond the roles of coach and player, senior and junior."

Soccer player Son Heung-min (left) and Lee Kang-in [Photo by Son Heung-min Instagram]

Cha said, "After the Asian Cup, 23-year-old young footballer Lee Kang-in is facing harsh public criticism," and added, "Situations that were not a big deal when growing up in Spain or France likely did not occur to the player would anger our fans this much." He continued, "Those of us who failed to teach the unique culture, atmosphere, and emotions of the Korean national football team, including myself as a senior player, must share the blame. We are truly fortunate to have a captain like Son Heung-min on our team. Now is the time for parents who raise players to seriously consider what dignified and true success means for our children," he emphasized.

On that day, Cha Bum-kun presented awards to 18 young football hopefuls. Established in 1988, the Cha Bum-kun Football Award annually discovers and honors promising elementary school football players. Key figures in Korean football such as Lee Dong-gook (4-time winner), Park Ji-sung (5-time winner), Ki Sung-yueng (13-time winner), Hwang Hee-chan (21-time winner), and Lee Seung-woo (23-time winner) have received this award. This year’s recipients will have the opportunity to participate in overseas training as part of the 'Team Cha Boom Germany Expedition' this coming August.

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