Korean midfielder Lee Yong-rae is "completely healthy" despite recent claims of a heart condition by a Middle Eastern team that refused to sign him, Lee's Korean club said Monday.
Suwon Samsung Bluewings of the K-League said Lee recently underwent an electrocardiogram and genetic tests at Seoul-based Samsung Medical Center, and results that came out Monday showed no ill effects in the 26-year-old.
On Aug. 6, Al Jazira, based in Abu Dhabi, announced their acquisition of the midfielder. Ten days later, Al Jazira said Lee failed a medical. The team instead signed Shin Hyung-min, another South Korean, from K-League's Pohang Steelers on Aug. 18.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) team claimed Lee showed symptoms of Long QT syndrome, a rare, congenital disorder of the heart's electrical activity. However, Kim June-soo, a cardiologist at Samsung Medical Center who tested Lee, told the Bluewings the player is healthy.
"He did not have any cardiac symptoms and any family history of sudden cardiac death," Kim was quoted as saying in the Bluewings' statement. "His genetic tests for Long QT syndrome did not show any abnormal findings."
Suwon officials said they will inform their Al Jazira counterparts of these results.
Officials added that Lee will rejoin the team's training this Friday. The Bluewings finished third among 16 K-League teams after 30 games in the first phase of the split system. Teams have been divided into two tiers based on their records after 30 games. Suwon and seven other clubs in the top group will play 14 more matches from Sept. 15 to Dec. 2 to determine the 2012 K-League champion.
Lee said he was relieved about the test results.
"I had gone through a lot and fortunately, nothing is wrong with my body," he said. "I've not been much help to the team because of the transfer matters. I'd like to help us win the championship in the new round."
Al Jazira finished fourth among 12 clubs in the UAE Pro-League last season, which was played from October 2011 to May 2012. The UAE clubs can acquire up to four foreign-born players each, one of whom must be from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member countries. Shin, the former Pohang player, replaced Australian Lucas Neill as the Asian player on Al Jazira.
Lee made his K-League debut with Gyeongnam FC in 2009 as an undrafted rookie, and joined Suwon before the 2011 season.
He enjoyed a breakout campaign at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, where South Korea finished third. Known for his defensive acumen and tireless work ethic, Lee was named the man of the match in South Korea's 1-0 extra-time victory over Iran in the quarterfinals.(Yonhap)