Ji-sung Ruled Out for Beijing
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea's under-23 football coach Park Sung-hwa said Monday he will not include Park Ji-sung in his roster for the Beijing Olympics in August.
The coach initially had a spot saved for the industrious Manchester United winger, but with the 27-year-old continuing to be troubled by a surgically repaired knee that kept him out for nine months after the 2006-2007 season, the Olympic team will now move ahead without him.
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) restricts entry to the Olympic tournament to players born after Jan. 1, 1985, but each squad is allowed to carry three over-aged players as ``wild card" picks.
Coach Park said he talked with Ji-sung over the matter before the player joined the senior national team for their World Cup qualifier against Jordan in Amman on June 7.
Ji-sung featured in South Korea's 1-0 win over the hosts, but missed the following World Cup qualifier against Turkmenistan in Ashgabat Saturday after complaining of discomfort in his right knee.
``Ji-sung had been at the top of our list for wild card candidates, but considering the circumstances, we concluded that we can't be asking too much from him at this point,'' Park told reporters at the Korean Football Association (KFA) headquarters in Seoul.
The coach also revealed that Manchester United expressed reluctance in allowing Ji-sung to play in Beijing, maintaining that it would be unwise for him to put too much mileage on his knee in the off-season.
``We need a player that will be able to sacrifice and put everything on the line for the Olympics,'' said Park.
``Although we may not get a player as talented (as Park Ji-sung), we will be looking for someone who can give us maximum effort," he said.
It would be hard to replace Ji-sung's versatility, which allows him to double as a creator and scorer, and his wealth of international experience and reputation as a big game player will surely be missed.
Coach Park said he won't pick West Bromwich Albion playmaker Kim Do-heon, pointing out that he faces a ``critical time'' in his English football career.
Vissel Kobe midfielder Kim Nam-il, who currently wears the armband for the senior team, was also ruled out over worries that the player's reputation as a drill sergeant might not bode well with the younger players, Park said.