While coach Hwang Sun-hong of the South Korean national soccer team selected Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), who caused controversy over his demotion of captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), a boycott campaign against Thailand is spreading among soccer fans calling for the Korea Football Association to reform.
According to South Korea’s national soccer team’s official Instagram (@thekfa) on the 12th, a number of soccer fans’ comments about the boycott were posted on the 8th and the national team’s list on the 11th. They posted hashtags such as “Jung Mong-gyu OUT,” “I’m not going,” and “I’m not looking,” demanding the resignation of Chairman Chung Mong-gyu and the reform of the Korea Football Association.
The 4231 YouTube channel called “4231,” which includes soccer news, also joined the boycott against the match against Thailand. The operator of the channel posted a message on Instagram on Thursday, “Please spread ‘Soccer A-match boycott’ for the players,” urging them to join the campaign.
Chung Mong-gyu, the president of the Korea Football Association, said, “Players have been pushed to the brink for his own personal interest. Players have no choice but to remain silent. Now we act for them,” and insisted on boycotting the match against Thailand with the words, “Leave Your Seat, please leave your seat.”
As for the meaning of the phrase, he explained, “For the happiness of the players and the future of Korean soccer, please leave Chung Mong-gyu and the audience leave.” He then raised his voice, saying, “Thirty years of the players could collapse because of the joy of your day’s intuition.”
Most soccer fans point to the abnormal operation of the Korea Football Association in a series of processes from the appointment of former coach Jurgen Klinsmann to the exit, arguing that Chairman Chung Mong-kyu’s “responsible attitude” should be accompanied.
On top of that, criticism is mounting as Lee Kang-in, the mastermind of the “table tennis gate,” is back on the national team without any disciplinary action. There is also criticism that the Korea Football Association admitted the fact at the time of the controversy, and raised the controversy, but actually passed the responsibility on to individual players and temporary coaches.
On the other hand, some said, “I will participate in the president’s resignation campaign, but it is right for the players who play on the field to cheer,” and “I need to give strength to the team even in difficult situations.”
Meanwhile, coach Hwang included Lee Kang-in when he announced the list of 23 national players to play in the March A-match, which will be held in two consecutive games against Thailand in the second qualifying round for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup, at the soccer center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 11th.
Defending Lee Kang-in, Hwang said, “Are these things just a matter of two players? I don’t think so.” He added, “It’s a matter of all the team members, including the team members, coaching staff, and support staff. You have to be responsible. As a soccer player, I want to take this opportunity to apologize to the people.”
The “Hwang Sun-Hong-ho” national team, which will be called up to Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi Province on the 18th, will play the third match of the second round of Asian qualifying for the North-Central American World Cup against Thailand at 8 p.m. on the 21st at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The two teams will then move to Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and play the fourth match at 9:30 p.m. on the 26th in Korean time. 스포츠토토