Source: REUTERS/Matthew Childs
[Saba Sports News] Former South Korean men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann recently made remarks about the internal conflict within the South Korean team during the Asian Cup in an interview. He stated: “Before the semifinal against Jordan, Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min had a physical altercation. Son Heung-min actually initiated the confrontation due to an inappropriate joke made by Lee Kang-in. This ultimately led to the team’s defeat.” These comments quickly provoked strong dissatisfaction among South Korean media. The media believes that Klinsmann, who had a contract until the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico before being dismissed, received over 7 billion won in severance pay in full while also benefiting from tax incentives due to his short residency period in Korea. This has led the media and public to suspect that he did not put forth corresponding effort but received high compensation, implying “fraud.” Moreover, regarding the internal conflict between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, not only did Klinsmann fail to effectively resolve the issues, but he also attributed responsibility to the players and leaked the internal team conflicts to British media, severely damaging the team’s image and unity, exposing his lack of ability in player and team management.