ID :
197450
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:11
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http://m.oananews.org//node/197450
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S. Korea looks overseas for football friendly against Japan
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea has recalled 15 footballers based in overseas leagues for its 24-man roster for its friendly match against Japan next month.
National team head coach Cho Kwang-rae told a press conference that he had initially wanted to employ local K-League players, but the recent match-fixing scandal made it difficult to build the national squad around them for the Aug. 10 friendly in Hokkaido.
Dozens of active players, including national team-caliber stars, either have been implicated in match fixing or have been indicted on charges of taking bribes from gambling brokers in exchange for rigging scores.
"The situation is still messy in the K-League, and I decided I would rather recall guys playing overseas and turn things around for Korean football," Cho said. "And it's Korea against Japan, and fans will pay attention. We will prepare the best we can."
The grudge match between the traditional sporting rivals carries another bit of significance for South Korea. It will be the country's final friendly before the third round of the continental qualifications for the 2014 FIFA World Cup starting in September.
Park Chu-young, forward for AS Monaco in France, will once again serve as the captain. Son Heung-min, second-year winger for Hamburger SV in Germany's Bundesliga, will also lead the offense. He has exploded with 18 goals in just nine preseason games this summer.
Son, 19, made his international debut in January this year at the Asian Cup but didn't make the team for the three ensuing friendly matches. Cho said Son has since matured both physically and mentally.
"At first, he made the team with his youthful exuberance, and I believe he has learned playing on the national team is quite different from what he'd thought," Cho said. "I have high expectations of him."
Cho made Ji Dong-won, a new addition to Sunderland in the English Premier League, a conditional selection. Sunderland is scheduled to open its season against Liverpool on Aug. 13, only three days after South Korea's game against Japan. Cho said if Sunderland commits to starting Ji in that game, then the player will not travel to Japan.
Among K-Leaguers, Kim Shin-wook, a towering, 196-centimeter forward for Ulsan Hyundai Tigers, has been added for some aerial attack. He currently leads the league with 17 goals in 27 matches, and nine of them have come from his head.
Cho left out K-League defensive back Hong Jeong-ho of Jeju United, who has been under investigation for his alleged match-fixing ties. The coach said Kim Young-kwon of Omiya Ardija in Japan, normally a wingback, will get a chance to play in central defense alongside Lee Jung-soo of Al Sadd in Saudi Arabia.
The national team will open the training camp on Aug. 7.
National team head coach Cho Kwang-rae told a press conference that he had initially wanted to employ local K-League players, but the recent match-fixing scandal made it difficult to build the national squad around them for the Aug. 10 friendly in Hokkaido.
Dozens of active players, including national team-caliber stars, either have been implicated in match fixing or have been indicted on charges of taking bribes from gambling brokers in exchange for rigging scores.
"The situation is still messy in the K-League, and I decided I would rather recall guys playing overseas and turn things around for Korean football," Cho said. "And it's Korea against Japan, and fans will pay attention. We will prepare the best we can."
The grudge match between the traditional sporting rivals carries another bit of significance for South Korea. It will be the country's final friendly before the third round of the continental qualifications for the 2014 FIFA World Cup starting in September.
Park Chu-young, forward for AS Monaco in France, will once again serve as the captain. Son Heung-min, second-year winger for Hamburger SV in Germany's Bundesliga, will also lead the offense. He has exploded with 18 goals in just nine preseason games this summer.
Son, 19, made his international debut in January this year at the Asian Cup but didn't make the team for the three ensuing friendly matches. Cho said Son has since matured both physically and mentally.
"At first, he made the team with his youthful exuberance, and I believe he has learned playing on the national team is quite different from what he'd thought," Cho said. "I have high expectations of him."
Cho made Ji Dong-won, a new addition to Sunderland in the English Premier League, a conditional selection. Sunderland is scheduled to open its season against Liverpool on Aug. 13, only three days after South Korea's game against Japan. Cho said if Sunderland commits to starting Ji in that game, then the player will not travel to Japan.
Among K-Leaguers, Kim Shin-wook, a towering, 196-centimeter forward for Ulsan Hyundai Tigers, has been added for some aerial attack. He currently leads the league with 17 goals in 27 matches, and nine of them have come from his head.
Cho left out K-League defensive back Hong Jeong-ho of Jeju United, who has been under investigation for his alleged match-fixing ties. The coach said Kim Young-kwon of Omiya Ardija in Japan, normally a wingback, will get a chance to play in central defense alongside Lee Jung-soo of Al Sadd in Saudi Arabia.
The national team will open the training camp on Aug. 7.
