Over the past few days, there have been details regarding the clash between Tottenham Hotspur star and South Korea captain Heung-min Son and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kang-in Lee at the 2023 Asian Cup.
The South Korean media reported that the situation arose when the youngest players, including Lee, opted to hurry through their meal to get to a game of table tennis.
As a result, this choice didn’t sit well with Son and the other senior players because pre-match meals are typically a chance to bond and foster team unity.
The following day, there was a surprising turn of events. South Korea, considered one of the tournament favorites, lost to Jordan. This unexpected outcome appears to have played a significant role in the recent dismissal of South Korea’s coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, who had only been in the position for twelve months.
Heung-min Son arbore un bandage à la main droite depuis la semaine dernière. Selon The Sun, il s’est blessé lors d’une échauffourée due au tennis de table avec certains de ses coéquipiers en sélection.https://t.co/hnx3OX9W0C
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) February 14, 2024
Son took to his Instagram account to express his feelings about moving forward, sharing a photo of himself and Lee smiling and standing with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
“I am sincerely sorry for causing problems, and I will work even harder to make the national team grow,” Son wrote (h/t RMC Sport). “Kang-in went through a very difficult time after this incident. Please forgive him. If the same situation happened again, I would act in the same way, because it is one of the duties of the captain.”
PSG’s Kang-in Lee also apologizes
Lee faced severe criticism from South Korean fans for the incident and lost support from advertisers. He also showed remorse and revealed that he had traveled to London to apologize to Son in person. The PSG star also took to Instagram to apologize for the incident.
“My short-sighted thinking and inappropriate behavior have disappointed Son, the national team, and football fans,” Lee wrote in an Instagram post published around the same time as Son’s.
