S. Korea's 3-0 win over UAE overshadowed

South Korea’s Yeom Ki-hun, center, celebrates after scoring a goal during a warm-up match against the United Arab Emirates at Shah Alam Stadium near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday. / Yonhap

MERS, Kang Soo-il's doping steal the show

By Nam Hyun-woo

South Korea beat the United Arab Emirates 3-0 in a warm-up game in Malaysia, but the spotlight was stolen by Malaysians' fear over Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and attacker Kang Soo-il's doping issue.

The domestic league's leading attacker Yeom Ki-hun, international rookie Lee Yong-jae and South Korea coach Stielike's trusted asset Lee Jeong-hyeop each scored, giving their country a morale boost in its bid to make a ninth World Cup appearance.

Yeom of Suwon Samsung Bluewings opened the game in the 44th minute first half, with a goal from a powerful and low free. It was his first international match goal since 2008. Lee Yong-jae of V Varen Nagasaki booked domestic headline spots with a goal in his debut. Lee Jeong-hyeop, who is rising as Korea's solid target striker, replaced Lee Yong-jae in the second half and diverted Jeong Dong-ho's perfect cross to end the game.

But the spotlight was not on the game itself.

Days before the game, Malaysian comments on Yahoo Singapore were flooded with why Malaysia was hosting the game between South Korea, which has the second largest number of MERS patient in the world, and the UAE, which follows Korea on that list. Some comments depicted the game as a “MERS derby.”

Earlier, Malaysian authorities advised their nationals not to visit South Korea due to the MERS outbreak, but no changes were made for Thursday's fixture, with the Korea Football Association (KFA) saying there was no problem with the team travelling to Malaysia.

But the fear resulted in the game to taking place in an almost empty stadium. The game was watched by a handful of Korean residents in the Southeast Asian country, with the majority of the 80,000 seats in Shah Alam Stadium near Kuala Lumpur remaining empty.

MERS was not the sole culprit to steal the show. Korea's attacker Kang was about to make his international debut in Malaysia but lost the chance because of a positive doping test.

Hours before the kick-off, the organizers of Korea's domestic K-League announced that the Jeju United player tested positive for methyltestosteron, an anabolic steroid, in a Korea Anti-Doping Agency test in May.

In a statement released by the K-League, Kang reported in May that he applied a hair growth additive to his face in order to grow a mustache.

Though he can ask for a further analysis of a B sample, the KFA dropped him immediately from the national team squad, citing FIFA rules banning a player who tested positive in a doping test from participating in any kinds of activity organized by his or her national association.

“So far, what was decided was leaving Kang off the team,” an official at the KFA said. “We had to decide quickly to show our non-tolerance of doping.” Kang has been left off the team to face Myanmar in the 2018 World Cup qualifier next week, and will return home.

For a doping test, two samples ― A and B ― are collected. A player who tests positive with an analysis of the A sample can ask for additional analysis of the B sample. Should both samples be positive, a hearing will be held within seven days of the result to determine any sanctions.

The league punishes players with a 15-game suspension for the first violation; a one-year suspension for a second violation; and a life-time ban for a third.

Kang first made it into the national squad when Stielike announced the team's Jeju training camp last December. He was omitted from the squad for the Asian Cup in January, but joined the trip to Southeast Asia, after showing solid performances in the K-League recently.

With the comfortable win, South Korea will fly to Bangkok for its qualifier against Myanmar, Tuesday. Myanmar will be the home team, but the game will be held in a third country as Myanmar is under a FIFA sanction for crowd-control.

Though No. 58 South Korea is above Myanmar ― in 143rd place ― in the FIFA rankings, Stielike said earlier his side should not be complacent.