Jurgen Klinsmann (59), coach of the Korean national soccer team, defended national team midfielder Park Yong-woo (30, Ulsan Hyundai), who was embroiled in a racial discrimination controversy.
The Korean national football team (ranked 27th in FIFA rankings) led by coach Klinsman lost 0-1 in a friendly match against ‘South American dark horse’ Peru (ranked 21st in FIFA rankings) held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on the 16th. Existing members were largely missing, such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who is concentrating on recovery after sports hernia surgery, was absent to protect the player, and monster defender Kim Min-jae (Napoli) was excluded from the call-up list for basic military training. Among them, many ‘new faces’ got a chance and made their debut in the national soccer team.
Park Yong-woo was also substituted in the 27th minute of the second half and stepped on the ground for the first time wearing the national team uniform. Defensive midfielder Won Doo-jae (Kim Cheon Sang-mu) was suddenly injured and was rushed into the team. He moved actively in the midfield and added strength to the offense and defense. In the 28th minute of the second half, Park Yong-woo blocked the opponent’s pass with a header and it was connected to Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and then Hwang Hee-chan raised a cross and Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) fired a sharp header shot. Although it was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, it was a good play.
In the first place, there was also a view that Park Yong-woo would not be able to play in the national team game. This is because after the selection of the national team, a controversy over racial discrimination broke out in Ulsan, his team. Previously, Park Yong-woo wrote on his teammate Lee Myeong-jae’s social media, “The real-life form is crazy.” It compares Lee Myung-jae, who has a rather dark skin color, to Sasilak, a native of Southeast Asia and Thailand, who played for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Ulsan players, including Park Yong-woo, and Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo apologized for this controversy.
In this regard, the Korea Professional Football Federation decided to open a reward and punishment committee on the 22nd.
Despite this controversy, coach Klinsman gave Park Yong-woo a chance to make his debut. Coach Klinsman said at a press conference after the game, “I had no choice but to replace it momentarily. Doo-jae Won was injured and had to be replaced immediately, and that player was Park Yong-woo. Park Yong-woo quietly played his role on the field, and he seemed like a player who had been with him for a long time in this game.”
He added, “Anyone can make mistakes. Especially young and young players make more mistakes. As a leader, it is important to help these players grow through advice when they make mistakes. Anyone can make mistakes, both on and off the field.” did. Director Klinsman did not just cover Park Yong-woo. He promised that he would help the national team players grow to the next level as human beings in the future.안전놀이터
Director Klinsman emphasized, “It is important to grow while making mistakes,” and “I make mistakes too. My role is to help people grow as a person when they make mistakes.”