After serving as a temporary captain for the South Korean men’s national football team this month, defender Kim Min-jae thanked his teammates for making his job easier than he’d anticipated.
Longtime skipper Son Heung-min was dropped from the national team due to a hamstring injury on Oct. 4, days before South Korea played Jordan and Iraq in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification tournament. Kim, center back for Bayern Munich and defensive leader for South Korea, was head coach Hong Myung-bo’s choice as captain for the October window.
South Korea captain Kim Min-jae acknowledges fans after his team’s 3-2 win over Iraq in the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 15, 2024. (Yonhap)
South Korea captain Kim Min-jae acknowledges fans after his team’s 3-2 win over Iraq in the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Pro
vince, on Oct. 15, 2024. (Yonhap)
Kim responded with some strong defensive effort, as South Korea blanked Jordan 2-0 in Amman last Thursday and beat Iraq 3-2 in Yongin, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday.
“Although we conceded two goals at home, it’s great to win here and get two victories in a row at such an important juncture,” Kim said after Tuesday’s win at Yongin Mireu Stadium. “Our supporters were fully behind us and the vibe was great tonight. I am so really grateful.”
That wasn’t the case just a month ago. South Korea settled for a goalless draw against underdogs Palestine on Sept. 5 in Seoul in the first match back in charge for Hong.
Hong, who’d previously coached South Korea in 2014, returned for his second tour of duty in July under controversial circumstances. Questions were raised about the transparency and validity of the hiring process by the Korea Football Association (KFA), leading to a monthslong probe by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Kim Min-jae of South Kore
a (L) battles Amjad Attwan of Iraq for the ball during the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 15, 2024. (Yonhap)
Kim Min-jae of South Korea (L) battles Amjad Attwan of Iraq for the ball during the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 15, 2024. (Yonhap)
Hong was mercilessly booed before, during and after the Palestine match, whenever the scoreboard at Seoul World Cup Stadium showed him. Immediately after the match, Kim confronted some fans in front of the stands and asked them to refrain from jeering. He later said he was disappointed that there were people who wanted the national team to fail.
In announcing interim findings of its probe on Oct. 2, the ministry concluded that although the KFA had broke rules during its coaching hiring process, such violations were not egregious enough to have Hong’s contr
act voided. The ministry also said the KFA would have prevented problems if it had begun negotiating a deal with Hong immediately after he was placed at the top of the list of candidates — instead of first interviewing two foreign candidates ranked below Hong.
Kim Min-jae of South Korea (L) heads the ball against Iraq during the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 15, 2024. (Yonhap)
Kim Min-jae of South Korea (L) heads the ball against Iraq during the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 15, 2024. (Yonhap)
This admission by the ministry seems to have silenced Hong’s detractors. The coach was not booed Tuesday night, though he wasn’t cheered either.
When asked how the vibe inside the locker room had changed in recent weeks, Kim said outside noise hadn’t affected the team as much as people might think.
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Honestly, whether things are going on inside or outside the team, it’s ultimately up to the players to create our own vibes,” Kim said. “Everyone has been mindful of those things (regarding Hong’s hiring) and we all tried to create a positive air around the team when we trained or spent time with each other off the field.”
Kim, 27, said he had plenty of help from his teammates, younger and older, as he tries to fill Son’s void, at least for these two matches.
“I was just a placeholder. I didn’t consider myself captain,” he said with a smile. “I had so much help from my teammates and I think everyone tried to lead the team in their own way. I think this job turned out to be easier than I thought it was going to be.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency
