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South Korea federation receives financing

The South Korea Football Federation has received a donation of $3.5 million from the CEO of Hyundai Chung Mong-Gyu in order to sign a quality head coach.

Indeed the South Korean team has failed to reach the knock-out stage of the recent World Cup in Russia and Chung Mong-Gyu believes that the money might help the Federation sign a foreign coach that will help bring the national team forward.

The South Korea Football Federation has received a donation of $3.5 million from the CEO of Hyundai Chung Mong-Gyu in order to sign a quality head coach.

With South Koreans fans rated as amongst the most enthusiastic on this site, with thousands of fans applying and searching for tickets for each game, it’s no wondre one of their fans has stepped forward to try and help create a better side – even though it is personally expensive for him.

Chung Mong-Gyu who is also the president of the South Korea Football Federation said that there need to be some changes if they want the team to progress and it is for this reason that he has made the donation from his own money. He hopes that this investment will help in the signing of a foreign manager that has the necessary knowledge to bring the team forward.

He said that they have already contacted some candidates and that it will take some time to sieve through the numerous candidates that have applied for the job. He said that South Korea has a great pool of players and that it will take a good manager to tap into this pool of talent and build a team that will allow them to compete at the highest level of world football.

South Korea will next participate in the Asian Cup where they finished second in 2015. They will be hoping that their new coach will be in place to help them compete in this tournament.

This will be a test of how the team has progressed after their disappointing performance at the World Cup. Chung Mong-Gyu said that he will personally invest himself in the search of a quality coach and will be hoping that this will help bring the team forward and allow them to win the Asian Cup.

South Korea In Search Of New Football Team Coach

The South Korean football team is on the lookout for a new head coach for the men’s football team. The team has gone through an early exit at the FIFA World Cup this year. The Korea Football Association confirmed last week that Kim Pan-gon, the leader of the national team coach committee has come back from a trip to negotiating with international tacticians for the football teach coach job.

The KFA, however, wishes to be mum on the chosen destinations and coaches he has got in touch with. Shin Tae-Yong is one of the candidates on their list. The contract of Shin with KFA would be expired by the end of this month. If he is chosen again, the 47-year-old would sign a fresh contract and preserve his seat.

Kim along with the committee would evaluate the performance of Shin and soon a shortlist of candidates would be created. After seeing the performance of Shin in Russia, Kim felt that the World Cup was neither a hit nor a loss. Kin suggested that Shin would remain at the same starting line as others. He said that the contract was not renewed for Shin but that did not stop them from giving the sense of confidence. Kim said there are less than 10 candidates who have been shortlisted and he is hopeful to complete the process before September. The criteria for coach selection was mentioned by Kim and South Korea will make best attempts to find a coach who matches the quality of the national team which has achieved the World Cup title for 9 consecutive times. South Korea needs to get hold of a coach who can form the legacy like Guss Hidding did in the year 2002.

The team is looking for a good who would upgrade the game of the country for the better. In addition to good resumes, the candidate also has to match their style and possess some experience to match the standards of the South Korean football.

Son Heung-Min Keen To Feature For South Korea At The Asian Game

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min has reportedly expressed his eagerness to represent South Korea at the Asian games this year in order to bypass the country’s military service.All able-bodied South Korean males have to compulsorily serve the military for a period of 21 months but they can get an exemption from this by winning a gold medal at either the Olympic or the Asian games.

As such, the 25-year-old is keen to ply his trade for the South Korea Under 23s this summer and their coach Kim Hak-bum has confirmed the player’s interest, he said: “Son has a strong will to compete at the Asian Games. But first, there’s the World Cup. I told Son to play well in Russia before we meet at the Asian Games.”

Son has had another top season with Tottenham Hotspur where he is on course to achieve a 20-goal tally and the club’s hierarchy would be wise to lose his services for the start of next season in order to allow his participation at the Asian games. South Korea are undoubtedly the favourites to win the competition in Indonesia but they could do with an experienced head in Son in order to avoid any blemishes.

Nevertheless, Spurs may have to rethink their transfer strategy for the summer, considering Son may not play a big role during the first half of the season. Fernando Llorente is currently the third pick to act as deputy to Harry Kane and it will be interesting to see whether the club are interested in pursuing a new marksman during the summer.

Despite the progress in recent seasons, Spurs have come short of the trophy which resembles a form of success and next term could be a make or break for them. The long-term futures of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Christian Eriksen among others may hinge on whether they can break a 10-year trophy drought next season.

Son Heung-Min Disappointed With Champions League Exit

South Korea international Son Heung-Min expressed his disappointment after Tottenham Hotspur were knocked out of this season’s Champions League. The north London club had been in a solid position to qualify for the quarter-final stage after they put in a solid performance in the first-leg of their round of 16 tie at Juventus – which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Son enhanced the club’s chances further by netting the opener during the second-leg, but this was not sufficient as Juventus came from behind to pick up a 2-1 victory. The triumph ensured that the Bianconeri progressed with a 4-3 aggregate scoreline, and Son has admitted that there is a sense of unhappiness within the squad.

He said: “That hurt, but it’s football. We played well but sometimes football is like this. We have to accept the result but still for me, it hurts a lot. What was the difference? Nothing. At the start we played well, we created lots of chances, got to 1-0 and made the perfect start I think. This game we can learn something from, but this is sad news. The dressing room was a bit quiet.”

Tottenham have possessed one of the best defences across Europe this term, but a period of three minutes in the second half ultimately cost them the chance to extend their Champions League run. The defeat is likely to have a dampening effect on the morale in the team, but Pochettino has the task of getting the side together for their Premier League outing this weekend.
The north London side are very much in the running to qualify for next season’s Champions League via their league phase, and they need to keep their recent good form going at Bournemouth. Spurs currently have a slender two-point lead over Chelsea with a game in hand, and they need to retain their focus in order to maintain their fourth position ahead of their city rivals.

Garth Crooks believes Heung-min Son is the Premier League’s most improved player

BBC Pundit Garth Crooks has spoken positively about the impact of Heung-min Son has had at Tottenham Hotspur this term. The South Korea international has been a regular in the Spurs setup in the 4-2-3-1 formation, and he is presently on 11 goals for the club across all competitions.

Writing on his BBC Sport column, Crooks highlighted the tireless workrate of the Korean footballer, who has developed leaps and bounds, working with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen in the attack, he said: “The South Korean is renowned for his energy and covers the ground with enormous alacrity.

“What I like most about him is that he genuinely plays the game with a smile on his face. I get the impressed sometimes when he plays for Spurs that he is so grateful to be playing at Tottenham at all. I have said before that I think Son is one of the most improved players in the Premier League and against Everton he proved it once again.”

Son has already achieved more than half of his 21-goal tally from the previous campaign, and he will surely have his sights on improving on this record with his team side alive in the FA Cup and Champions League, where he could yet make an impact.

The north London giants have roped in Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain to add competition for places, but the South Korean’s future is seemingly secured for the season, owing to his impressive exploits over the past few months.

Spurs clinched an important 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday night, which keeps them within two points off both Chelsea and Liverpool, and they will now fancy pushing for the top-four when they make the way to Anfield to take on the latter in a much-awaited clash this weekend.

NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA EASE TENSION AT OLYMPICS

North and South Korea eased the age-long tension between them at the Olympic Village.

The North sent a powerful delegation of 46 people to Pyeongchang County, which is in Gangwon Province in the South. The North Korean delegation had 22 athletes for the Olympic games and the national flag of North Korea was raised at the Olympic Village in Gangneung on Thursday. The North’s anthem was also played – something is banned on a normal occasion.

North and South Korea eased the age-long tension between them at the Olympic Village.

There was serious tension especially late last year over the nuclear intentions of the North amid support of the United States for the South and Japan, with a possible involvement of China in the fray. However, all the tensions are relaxed for the 2018 Pyeongchang winter Olympics. Both countries have agreed to march under a single flag at the opening ceremony of the event on Friday, according to reports.

Whilst they haven’t yet agreed to join forces on the football field (click here for the latest South Korea national football team fixtures & results), there is a joint ice hockey team with reps from both sides and ice skaters from both divides have been pictured together e.g. Alex Chan of the South and Ju Sik from the North. This is very different and surprising considering the recent tensions. It is very unlike the 1986 Asian Games and the Summer Olympics of 1988 which both held in the South Korean capital Seoul with the North boycotting both events.

It was rather nervy initially as the North was serious looking, as described by those present. However, they soon started clapping more vigorously and the all-female marching band started singing Korean folk songs. The North Korean started dancing on the streets and asked the Southerners to join them.

On Friday, it would be the height of it when both sides march under one flag at the opening ceremony. Well, that’s what the Olympics represent.

Roy Keane – Heung-min Son does not deserve prominent role at Tottenham Hotspur

Former Manchester United legend turned pundit, Roy Keane does not believe Heung-min Son deserves a prominent role despite showing promise from the starting line-up. The South Korea international has played a decisive role for Spurs this season, but Keane believes the forward is just a ‘good little player’.

Speaking in ITV’s coverage of the Champions League, Keane said: “He’s a good little player. I don’t think he’d be one of your main guys, but certainly as a backup to the other attacking players.”

Heung-min added his fourth goal of the campaign during the 2-1 comeback win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, and Keane feels the victory will provide a much-needed boost prior to Saturday’s Premier League outing versus West Bromwich Albion at the Wembley Stadium, he said: “It was a good response from Tottenham from the weekend, because you’re on about testing their character, and they’ve shown that again.”

Son, 25, joined the north London giants from German side Bayer Leverkusen back in the summer of 2015, and he has since amassed 27 goals in over 80 appearances in all competitions. The marksman also played a significant role in South Korea’s progress to the World Cup finals in Russia, and he currently finds himself shortlisted for this year’s Asian International Player of the Year accolade.

Spurs suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal last weekend, and Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate for three points versus the Baggies, who are currently lingering in the tail-end of the standings. The west Midlands side axed Tony Pulis from his head coach role – owing to their dismal run, and caretaker Gary Megson has a huge task at hand at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Tottenham are currently 11 points adrift of Manchester City at the top of the table and their chances of competing for the Premier League title look bleak. Spurs do have a game against the Citizens next month, but their tendency to drop points against the lesser clubs have dented their progress this term.

Shin Tae-Yong Promises Victory against Uzbekistan to Reach the World Cup

South Korea coach Shin Tae-Yong has claimed that the national team will be coming in with a much better mentality for the upcoming match against Uzbekistan.

A victory in this game would help South Korea secured qualification to the World Cup for a ninth consecutive time. However, the team has been going through such a poor form that it would be difficult to expect a victory from this game. South Korea have had just one win in the last five games this match, and they have not managed an away win in a competitive match since November 2015. Back then, the national team managed to comfortably beat Laos.

There is little doubt that South Korea will be coming up against a strong opponent in the form of Uzbekistan who will not be ready to give up on the home soil. South Korea have been going through a poor run of results lately. As a result, the national team find themselves well away from the top spot of the group.

The first two places of the Asian qualification that of stages will be able to make it to the World Cup. South Korea are trailing Iran by a whopping seven points coming into this game, but the major threat for South Korea comes in the form of Syria. Syria have been able to close the gap over South Korea to just two points.

“We’ll return home with victory no matter what. We’re in a difficult situation, but we’ll beef up our mental strength and will win.It is not that we didn’t want to score.The players worked hard … and while I know it is not an excuse the pitch was not in a good condition. All the coaching staff and players will do all they can to ensure we can the goals to win,” said the South Korea coach.

South Korea New Boss Wants to Improve Defence Ahead of Iran Test

Tae-Yong Shin has been recently appointed as the national team manager for South Korea.

The national team suffered some embarrassing defeats at the hands of Qatar and China. This led to the departure of German boss Uli Stielike. After having appointed as the new boss for the national team, expectations are high up onTae-Yong Shin. He says that the first priority would be to sort out the defence, as South Korea conceded three in the latest game against Qatar. The national team has been able to manage only two wins in the last four World Cup qualification games.

The team comes into the match against Iran trailing the leaders by a whopping seven points after eight matches. There is a real possibility of Uzbekistan causing a major surprise by sneaking into the top two places. Only the first two teams will be progressing into the next round, while the third placed team will have to be involved in a play-off. South Korea are one of the top teams in the Asian region. The team managed to reach this status after doing well in the World Cup 2002.

South Korea come into the game against Iran after having not been able to win against this opponent since Asian cup 2011. As a result, there is a lot of fierce rivalry between the two teams.

“If we were meeting Iran in a friendly, I would make the team play attacking football. Of course, I want to pay back for the humiliation that we’ve suffered, but these matches are important. My goal is not to beat Iran by a big score, but to go to the World Cup with a win.Even though we called up the players early, we don’t have the full squad, so we won’t able to see the big work. But we will build up our chemistry and organise our defence,” said Tae-Yong Shin.

RONALDINHO TO FEATURE IN LEGENDS MATCH

Confirmations emanating from the Barcelona camp has it that for the Legends match to be held on June 30, one of the big names in the club’s history would participate.

Former Barcelona star player, Ronaldinho is expected to feature for the Barcelona side as they come up against Manchester United in a match that will witness the return of DimitarBebartov.

These legends will face off in the match holding at Camp Nou. The purpose of the match is to raise money for the Paediatric Cancer Centre Barcelona (PCCB).

Some of the players expected to be on United’s line-up include past Champions League winners such as Mikael Silvestre, Dwight Yorke,Park Ji-Sung, and JesperBlomqvist.
Also included are the likes of Quinto Fortune, DimitarBerbatov, and KarelPoborsky.

On the Barcelona team, the past players such as Edgar Davids,Miguel Angel Nadal,LudovicGiuly,Simao,GaizkaMendieta and Edmilson are expected to make the cut
However, the star of the show will be no other than Ronaldinho.In a recent friendly held in Qatar for the Legends, the 2005 Ballon d’Or-winner showed that he still possessed those skills that made him popular in his heydays.

Ronaldinho joined the Catalan giants back in 2013 at a time when the club finished sixth place in the season and had no more than 9 points from bottom half of the table.

With his arrival, he was able to use his skills to help bring about a huge transformation to the club thus bringing it to the great heights it current possesses.
For the second time since the history of the club, they were crowned European champions back in 2006.

Two years later, he was shown out the door by the club’s manager at the time, Pep Guardiola due to his excessive partying lifestyle.