[Anchor]
Captain Son Heung-min and three fellow players born in 1996, who were previously known to be at the center of internal friction within the national football team, have all been selected once again for next month's away friendly matches in the Middle East. Head Coach Moreno stepped forward to mend the rift, stating, "Son Heung-min remains the captain."
Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the details.
[Reporter]
Following the conclusion of four consecutive home matches earlier this month, long-standing conflicts between captain Son Heung-min and the so-called "96-line"—Hwang In-beom, Kim Min-jae, and Hwang Hee-chan—came to the surface. As he announced the national team roster for next month's away friendlies in the Middle East, Head Coach Moreno emphasized "unity."
He announced that Son Heung-min, Hwang In-beom, Kim Min-jae, and Hwang Hee-chan have all been selected, spending over 10 minutes explaining the rationale behind his decision.
[Moreno / Interim Head Coach of the National Football Team: Over the past few weeks, the thing I have done the most is communicate. I spoke with the players, the captain, the association, and all officials. For the sake of the entire national team, I did not take anyone's side and treated all players fairly.]
Regarding the three players who had hinted at retiring from the national team together, he dismissed the "retirement rumors," stating that they are all players who will dedicate themselves to the team. He also responded very firmly to assessments that "captain Son Heung-min's leadership" is faltering.
[Moreno / Interim Head Coach of the National Football Team: The captain is Son Heung-min, and I have nothing more to say.]
Citing principles of privacy protection and confidentiality, Coach Moreno did not disclose detailed contents of his conversations with the players.
As indicated by Coach Moreno's departure for Europe last night (October 29) to hold successive meetings with Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, and Hwang In-beom, the consensus is that the process of healing the rift is still "a work in progress."
[Moreno / Interim Head Coach of the National Football Team: There may be various opinions for the team, but we must overcome this situation for the goal of winning matches and making our fans happy.]
Serving as the final rehearsal ahead of the Asian Cup in January next year, this upcoming trip to the Middle East will feature newly joined Asian Games gold medalists Eom Ji-sung, Kim Ji-soo, and Shin Min-ha, while Lee Ki-hyuk, who sparked controversy with his remarks regarding "military service exemptions," was not called up.
(Photo: Yonhap News / Video by Hwang In-seok, Video Editing by Lee Hong-myung, Design by Kim Min-young)
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