SEOUL: Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min suffered a finger injury in a scuffle with his teammates before South Korea’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Jordan in the Asian Cup, the South Korean Football Association (KFA) told local media confirming previous reports.
South Korea, who is ranked 23rd in the world, was surprisingly defeated 2-0 by Jordan, who is ranked 87th in the world, in the semifinals.
According to a report from British newspaper The Sun, Son suffered a dislocated finger in a “clash” that occurred at dinner the day before the match.
The incident reportedly occurred after several young players on the team – including Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in – finished their dinner quickly to play table tennis.
This displeased Son, who is also the team captain, and several other senior players, as dinner the night before a big match is usually a time for bonding between players.
An unnamed source told the newspaper that when Son asked his younger teammates to sit down, they hurled rude remarks at him.
“Within seconds, the argument spread to the dining room causing the players to be separated,” said the source. Son suffered a serious injury to his finger while trying to calm all the players.
Yonhap news agency reported that Son initially tried to talk to the young players, but the situation turned physical when they refused to listen.
Son became furious and grabbed Lee who reacted by hitting him, Yonhap reported, citing sources familiar with the incident.
The two players must be separated. As a result, Son suffered a dislocated finger.
KFA confirmed on Wednesday (Feb 14) that the report was true.
“The incident occurred when some young players were playing table tennis and Son Heung-min and other senior players made a big deal about it,” an official was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
“The players were arguing with each other. Son then injured his finger.”
AFP was unable to contact KFA.
Son was seen playing in last week’s semi-final in Qatar with two fingers on his right hand wrapped in bandages.
He still wore the bandage when playing for his club Tottenham against Brighton last weekend.
Lee posted an apology via Instagram Stories on Wednesday, saying: “I apologize for causing great disappointment to the fans who have always supported the national team. I am truly sorry.
“I should have been the first to listen to my senior’s words, but I apologize for showing a bad image to the fans.
“In the future, I will try to become a better player and individual with the help of my seniors.”
South Korea, who is one of the favorites to win the Asian Cup, failed to register a single shot on goal during the match against Jordan.
South Korean national team supporters were furious over this defeat and urged coach Jurgen Klinsmann to resign because he was considered incompetent to lead the country’s national team “Ginseng”
The KFA is scheduled to hold a meeting Thursday to discuss Klinsmann’s fate.
