Director Hwang Seon-hong giving an interview
First training in Qatar on the 11th ‘Double whammy’ of recruiting overseas players and player injuries
Coach Hwang Seon-hong of the Korean Olympic soccer team, which is facing difficulties in recruiting overseas players, emphasized "overcoming the crisis."
The Olympic team led by Coach Hwang arrived in Doha, Qatar, the battle site, on the 10th to participate in the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup (15th to May 3rd), which determines qualification for the Paris Olympics. The first local adaptation training was held on the 11th.
If you place 1st to 3rd in this competition, you will receive a 'direct ticket to Paris', and if you place 4th, you must pass the continental playoffs against Guinea, the 4th place team in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) preliminary round, to enter the Olympics.
Korea, which has already set a 'world record' in this category by advancing to the Olympic finals nine times in a row, is determined to increase its record of participating in the Olympic finals by winning this year's AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
The Taegeuk Warriors in Group B of the group stage will face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 0:30 a.m. on the 17th in Korean time, China at 10 p.m. on the 19th, and Japan at 10 p.m. on the 22nd.
However, as Hwang Seon-hong, who was about to embark on his big career, faced the negative news of the 'difficulty in recruiting foreign players', which he had hoped to avoid, a 'red signal' came in on the championship front.
Coach Hwang initially called up Kim Min-woo (Düsseldorf), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Jeong Sang-bin (Minnesota), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) as overseas players, but striker Yang Hyun-jun and defender Kim Ji-soo were unable to join due to opposition from their respective teams. It failed.
Meanwhile, midfielder Bae Jun-ho has not yet confirmed whether he will be called up as his team, Stoke City, is in danger of being relegated to the third division.
This match is not an A match, so players cannot be called up without permission from their team.
Among the overseas players, only striker Kim Min-woo joined the national team on the 6th, while striker Jeong Sang-bin is scheduled to arrive in Doha on the afternoon of the 15th local time and join the team, so he may have difficulty participating in the UAE game on the 17th.
Jeong Sang-bin is in a situation where he has to urgently work with existing players because he did not participate in the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-23 Championship, which the Olympic team participated in last month.
In addition, midfielder Baek Sang-hoon (Seoul) left Korea on the 8th to join the national team after receiving treatment for a knee injury, and Hwang Seon-hong is experiencing a 'double whammy' of difficulties in recruiting overseas players and bad news about injuries ahead of the tournament.
Still, the Taegeuk Warriors’ only goal is to win.
The national team players are accelerating their preparations for the competition by holding their first training session in Doha on the 11th.
Coach Hwang Seon-hong, who led the first training, expressed his gratitude through the Korea Football Association, saying, "There are difficulties due to the selection of overseas players and injury issues, but there are many such incidents during competitions."
He then emphasized his unwavering will to take on challenges, saying, "I will do my best to overcome difficulties and qualify for the Olympic finals for the 10th consecutive time." 사설토토
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