Lee Kang-in Punches Son Heung-min: Unusually Quick Admission... Conspiracy Theories Slowly Emerge

Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean national football team, reportedly clashed with younger players including Lee Kang-in ahead of the AFC Asian Cup semifinal, sparking conspiracy theories among some netizens. This came after the Korea Football Association (KFA), which had to manage the situation following foreign media reports, unusually quickly acknowledged the facts. On the 13th (local time), British media outlet The Sun reported, “Tottenham star Son Heung-min dislocated his finger during a scuffle with a teammate the day before the Asian Cup elimination.”

Captain of the national soccer team Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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To summarize the situation, the day before the match against Jordan, younger players such as Lee Kang-in, Seol Young-woo, and Jung Woo-young finished dinner early and went to play table tennis. Later, other players began eating dinner, but loud table tennis noises were heard. Son Heung-min tried to stop them, but they did not listen. Enraged, Son grabbed Lee Kang-in by the collar, and Lee responded with punches. Son dodged, but during the process of other players separating them, Son’s finger was dislocated.

In response to the report, the KFA stated on the 14th, “The reported content is largely accurate,” adding, “Son Heung-min expressed dissatisfaction with the younger players leaving early to play table tennis, and a dispute broke out as the younger players resisted, during which Son injured his finger.” Furthermore, sports media reported that Son and others approached then-coach J?rgen Klinsmann to request excluding Lee Kang-in from the Jordan match lineup.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Speculation has arisen about how the internal conflict that occurred during the team’s dinner leaked to foreign media. Some suggest that the KFA, which should have been managing the conflict, acknowledged the facts too quickly and that KFA officials must have been aware of the conflict during the Asian Cup, fueling conspiracy theories. Football fans commented, “Even if such an incident happened, shouldn’t the KFA say ‘We don’t know’ or ‘We cannot confirm’?” and “They are blaming the team’s internal strife for the Asian Cup semifinal elimination.”

The KFA has been struggling over the dismissal of coach Klinsmann. Not only football fans but also political circles have expressed anger over Klinsmann’s “lack of tactics” and indifferent attitude revealed by the loss to Jordan. Nevertheless, Klinsmann has stated he has no intention of resigning voluntarily. It is reported that he returned to his home in the United States for rest on the 11th, just two days after returning to Korea for an evaluation of the national team’s management this week.

The KFA plans to review the Asian Cup overall through the Strengthening Committee on the 15th. Based on this, Chairman Chung Mong-gyu will decide whether to dismiss or retain coach Klinsmann. According to overseas media reports, Klinsmann’s annual salary is about 2.9 billion KRW, and if he is dismissed immediately, the KFA would have to pay a penalty of approximately 7 billion KRW. Including the salaries of foreign coaches, the penalty is expected to exceed 10 billion KRW.

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