From early morning, there's been a big fuss about Korean football again.
It's said that the national team players had a brawl ahead of the Asian Cup quarterfinal against Jordan.
Names like Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in were mentioned, and there's a lot of talk about Son Heung-min injuring his finger while trying to break up the fight.
By evening, Lee Kang-in posted an apology on Instagram, indicating that the fight did happen, but it's probably faster to search for the detailed story.
The important thing is not the details of the fight.
Lee Kang-in apologises as Son Heung-min dislocates finger in ping pong bust-up
LEE KANG-IN apologised for his ping pong bust-up that left Son Heung-min with a dislocated finger. Lee, 22, was one of the younger members of the South Korea squad who left dinner early to go and p…
www.thesun.co.uk
The important thing at this point is that such an article first appeared in the foreign press, The Sun, and the Korea Football Association quickly acknowledged the fact.
As time goes on, the actions of the Football Association send shivers down my spine.
First, let's talk about the fact that players fought.
Whether it's a professional team or the national team, disagreements among players happen.
When you have vigorous men in their 20s to 30s gathered together, playing or preparing for a game involves intense physical exertion and mental stress.
It's an environment where emotions can easily escalate over trivial matters.
Differences in opinion are natural.
After all, there are differences even among family and friends.
Just because they're on the same team doesn't mean everyone is close.
Are there many people who are friends with all their colleagues at work?
So, it's no big deal that fights happen.
Who says someone lacks character or has a bad personality?
Such gossip is utterly pointless.
Then, does everyone suddenly become uncivilized when they fight?
Who behaves courteously when they fight?
The important thing is, first, that such facts leaked out to the public.
If the fight happened within the team, then only those within the team, coaching staff, and other team officials would have known about it.
But how did this information leak out and get reported by a foreign media outlet before any Korean media did?
This indicates a problem with the association and team officials who failed to properly manage internal affairs.
Even if a player was the one who leaked the information, couldn't they have been told not to disclose such matters?
If the players were properly disciplined, why would they go and talk about it elsewhere?
The second point is, the Football Association's remarkably swift response to this incident, and the fact that their response is considered an acknowledgment, is baffling.
It's surprising that the Football Association acted so quickly for once.
For over a week, there has been no news regarding issues with the national team or the coach's future, and the Association Chairman doesn't even attend executive meetings.
Yet, they handle this matter so swiftly?
It's understandable to respond promptly. It's better than delaying it.
If they delay, unfounded rumors could spread, and there's a significant risk of distortion.
However, they shouldn't have acknowledged it so openly.
Acknowledging that a fight occurred is one thing, but they should have ended it by saying it was resolved internally at the level of a dispute.
There was absolutely no need to delve into the specifics of who did what and why.
Especially at a time when the atmosphere towards the Football Association and the national team is already very negative.
As mentioned earlier, players fighting is a very common and trivial occurrence.
However, the fact that the Football Association came forward to acknowledge it and even publicly disclosed the details seems, to me, like an attempt to divert attention.
Even people who don't follow football closely are aware that the current public opinion is heavily critical of the Football Association, the coach, and the chairman.
It seems like an attempt to shift the blame onto the players.
It's chaotic right now.
As mentioned earlier, there's an increase in people gossiping about someone's character flaws, which is not the real issue.
Let's think about it simply: during Coach Bento's tenure, did such news ever come out?
If someone had a bad personality back then, wouldn't there have been fights and articles?
There's hardly any difference between the current team and the one back then.
We need to think about what has changed.
Regardless of the team, rumors of discord always arise.
Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich—they've all had their share.
But there's one commonality when these rumors surface: the team's poor performance.
(And magically, if the team starts doing well, these rumors vanish like ghosts.)
Let's think logically.
If a team is performing poorly, can everyone always get along harmoniously?
Cheering each other on may happen a couple of times, but if the slump continues, tensions naturally escalate, and conflicts naturally occur.
Yet, it's precisely during these times that the media consistently churn out such stories.
How could they ignore such sensational material?
Plus, with the team's poor performance, it's even easier to rock the boat.
In the case of a good team, during such times, they typically respond by dismissing unfounded rumors, acknowledging any past issues that may have arisen but emphasizing that they have been resolved, or stating that they are currently being addressed internally.
This approach is aimed at blocking external attacks and solidifying team unity.
However, currently, the national team and the Football Association are going in the opposite direction.
Instead of blocking external attacks, they seem to be opening up avenues for further criticism, with the players becoming the targets of these attacks.
So, no matter how much I think about it, it seems that their intention is to deflect blame onto the players.
I'm not sure how many people will read this, but if anyone was criticizing the players, I hope reading this changes their perspective.
The problem facing the national team right now isn't with the players but with the higher-ups.
It's essential to focus on the fundamental issue of the need for restructuring within the organization—both the coach and the chairman of the Football Association.
