All Members of '96 Line' Involved in Feud Selected… Son Heung-min to Remain Captain

[Anchor]

The national football team roster for next month's away matches in the Middle East has been announced. Son Heung-min and three players born in 1996, who were recently swept up in rumors of a feud, have all made the list. However, manager Moreno firmly stated that Son Heung-min will remain the captain.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the details.

[Reporter]

Following 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. Announcing the national team roster for next month's away friendlies in the Middle East, manager 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 background behind their inclusion.

[Moreno / Interim National Football Team Manager: The thing I have done the most over the past few weeks is communication. I talked with the players, the captain, the association, and everyone involved. For the sake of the entire national team, I did not take sides 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 gave a very resolute response to assessments that "captain Son Heung-min's leadership" is wavering.

[Moreno / Interim National Football Team Manager: The captain is Son Heung-min, and I have nothing more to say.]

Citing principles of privacy protection and confidentiality, manager Moreno did not disclose the detailed contents of his conversations with the players.

As evident from manager Moreno's departure for Europe tonight (October 29) to meet sequentially with Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, and Hwang In-beom, consensus is that closing the rift is still "a work in progress."

[Moreno / Interim National Football Team Manager: 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 dress rehearsal in preparation for the Asian Cup next January, this Middle East trip features newly joined Asian Games gold medal protagonists Um Ji-sung, Kim Ji-soo, and Shin Min-ha. Meanwhile, Lee Ki-hyuk, who sparked controversy with his remarks regarding 'military service exemptions,' did not receive a call-up.

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok | Video editing: Lee Hong-myeong | Design: Kim Min-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.