Nat'l football team stars claim differences now behind them

The five members of the national men's football team caught in a rift controversy announced Thursday they have put their differences behind them and are now ready to lead a new generation of players by example.

Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom and Kim Min-jae issued a joint statement through the Korea Football Association (KFA) during their training camp in Doha, where the national team has been training since Tuesday to prepare for two upcoming friendly matches. The Taegeuk Warriors will face Saudi Arabia on Friday in Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha, and Qatar next Tuesday at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

These five players have been called up for the national team amid rumors of friction in the locker room. Son, the longtime captain, and Lee are part of the leadership group at age 34. The two Hwangs and Kim, colloquially called the "1996 group" for their birth year, reportedly offered to retire from international play following Korea's friendly against Uzbekistan on Oct. 5 in apparent frustration with the older players.

Some three weeks later, Robert Moreno, the national team's temporary head coach, selected all five players for the November matches on the grounds that fences had been mended through long conversations and they deserved to be on the team based on their recent performances.

In their statement, which began with an apology to football fans for causing them concern, the players themselves confirmed they are on the same page.

"At the start of training camp, we gathered to share our thoughts on the national team honestly. By listening to and explaining things we had not had a chance to discuss in the past, we were able to come away with a better understanding of one another," the statement read. "Above all, we confirmed once again that we all come from the same place — that Korean football must improve and we must reward our fans' support with the level of performance and results commensurate with the national team's history and status."

The players claimed that their reported rift came from their shared desire to make the national team better, not from any personal agenda for specific individuals.

"It is absolutely not true that some of us tried to get our way by threatening to retire," the statement said. "We chose not to respond to media reports because we thought it was only appropriate to address these issues internally first. Even though there were many erroneous reports, we felt it would only create further misunderstanding if we each made individual statements without first having conversations amongst ourselves.

"We will now put unnecessary controversy behind us and will concentrate on building the national team together," the statement continued. "We are teammates who have been playing for the national team for a long time and who will continue to chase the common objective moving forward. We will respect and trust each other's roles and responsibilities, and we will try to set a good example for younger players who will write the new chapter for Korean football."

Korea had planned to use the two November matches to gear up for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, originally scheduled to kick off in January. However, amid attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the AFC decided last week to postpone the tournament to December 2027.

The five players said they will try to use that extra time wisely and prepare for the top Asian tournament the best they can.

"We will be in close coordination with the KFA and make sure we will not have a repeat of disappointment and regret from the last tournament," the statement said, referring to Korea's elimination from the semifinals at the 2023 Asian Cup. The country has not won the Asian Cup since 1960.

"We understand that more than our words, our fans will really want to see our earnest effort and good results on the pitch," the statement said. "In the upcoming friendly matches, we will do our best as a team and perform the way that befits the history and status of our national football."