The South Korean star Son Heung-Min sustained a finger injury after a scuffle with his teammates before the match against Jordan in the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup, as confirmed by the South Korean Football Association.
The South Korean team, currently ranked 23rd in the world, suffered a 2-0 defeat against Jordan, despite being one of the favorites to win the championship.
According to a report by the British newspaper “The Sun,” Son, who captains the English club Tottenham Hotspur, dislocated his finger following a dispute that occurred during the team’s pre-match dinner.
The issue reportedly arose when a group of young players in the South Korean national team, including Paris Saint-Germain’s player Lee Kang-In, tried to leave the dinner to play table tennis.
This behavior infuriated Son, along with some of the veteran players, as the pre-match dinner is a tradition to bond the team before significant matches. When Son asked the young players to sit down, they responded with disrespectful remarks.
A source, who chose to remain anonymous, mentioned that a quarrel erupted quickly and escalated at the dinner table, leading to the players being separated. During the altercation, Son suffered a serious finger injury while attempting to calm the situation.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Son tried to address the young players, but the situation escalated into a physical altercation when they refused to listen to him.
In response, Son got angry and attempted to punch a player, according to Yonhap’s sources familiar with the incident. The two players were separated, with Son dislocating his finger during the scuffle.
The local Football Association confirmed the reports after initially staying silent on the matter.
Later, Kang-In posted an apology on his official Instagram account for disappointing the fans and causing a significant upset. He expressed deep regret for his actions and vowed to support the senior players better in the future.
During the Jordan match, Son was seen wearing a brace on two fingers, and he continued with this during the English Premier League match against Brighton, where he came on as a substitute in the last weekend.
The disappointing exit from the semi-finals was met with disappointment from Korean fans, leading them to call for the resignation of the German coach Jurgen Klinsmann due to his perceived leadership shortcomings.
The South Korean Football Association is set to hold a meeting on Thursday to determine Klinsmann’s fate.
