Defender Hong injures back, may miss friendlies

National soccer team defensive back Hong Jeong-ho injured his back in a recent domestic league match and may miss South Korea’s upcoming friendlies, officials said Thursday.Early in the second half of a K League Classic contest against Busan I’Park Wednesday night in Busan, 450 kilometers southwest of Seoul, the Jeju United defender injured his back while competing for a loose ball in the air. He was subsequently taken out of the match.Jeju team officials said Hong appeared to have suffered a bo

Aug. 29, 2013

Korea sets venues, times for October football friendlies

The local football governing body on Wednesday set venues and kickoff times for two upcoming friendly matches.The Korea Football Association announced that South Korea will host Brazil at 8 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Seoul World Cup Stadium.Then on Oct. 15, it will bring Mali to Cheonan Sports Complex, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, also for an 8 p.m. start.The KFA first announced last Friday that South Korea will face the two countries. It said at the time the Brazil match could be held either on

Aug. 28, 2013

Chelsea holds United to draw

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Wayne Rooney’s headline-grabbing presence couldn’t inspire Manchester United to victory in David Moyes’ first home game in charge as Chelsea ground out a 0-0 draw Monday in the Premier League’s first marquee matchup of the season.Rooney, the subject of two bids from Chelsea over the summer, played the full 90 minutes in his first start of this season and was one of the few standout performers in a disappointing match at Old Trafford that failed to live up to its billin

Aug. 27, 2013

Ki Sung-yueng benched for 2nd straight game

South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng on Sunday was left off the roster for the second straight game, giving weight to a rumor that his stint with the Welsh football club may be drawing to a close.Swansea City played an away game against Tottenham Hotspur without Ki and fell 1-0, marking their second straight loss in the Premier League’s 2013-14 season. They have yet to score a single goal.It was also the second straight game for which Ki failed to even make the roster. Out of two Premier League

Aug. 26, 2013

Kim Bo-kyung helps Cardiff to upset win over Man City

Kim Bo-kyung helped underdog Cardiff City to a stunning 3-2 win over Manchester City on Sunday, playing the catalyst for the team’s equalizer midway through the second half.Starting for Cardiff in the team’s home game against the manchester powerhouse in the English Premier League, Kim clocked in 89 minutes and was effective throughout the match. Although he failed to record a goal or an assist, he was the creator of Aron Gunnarsson’s equalizer 15 minutes into the second half.Kim eluded several

Aug. 26, 2013

Korea to face Brazil, Mali in October

South Korea will face Brazil and Mali in upcoming football matches, an official with the sport’s national governing body said on Friday.“We have chosen Brazil and Mali as our opponents in October,” the Korea Football Association official said. “We will face Brazil either on Oct. 11 or 12 and will play Mali likely on Oct. 15. We haven’t signed any contract with Mali yet, but we’re in talks (of scheduling the match on Oct. 15).” FIFA has designated the Oct. 11-15 period as official international m

Aug. 23, 2013

Ki Sung-yueng seeking to leave Swansea City in Premier League: source

South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng is seeking to leave Swansea City in English Premier League, an informed source revealed on Friday."Ki's agent is trying to find a new team in England," said the source, privy to the transfer market in European football. "He's waiting for offers from Premier League clubs and also other European teams."Ki, 24, is in his second season with Swansea City. After joining them from Celtic in Scotland last August, Ki appeared in 38 matches -- 29 in Premier League, tw

Aug. 23, 2013

FC Seoul, Al Ahli draw 1-1 in AFC Champions League quarters

FC Seoul played to a 1-1 draw on the road Wednesday against Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the first leg of their quarterfinals at the AFC Champions League.Striker Dejan Damjanovic gave the reigning K League Classic champion the lead after 10 minutes at King Abdulaziz Sport City Stadium, but Sultan Al-Sawadi tied the score in the 80th minute to salvage a draw for the Saudi Professional League club.The two teams will play their second leg at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sept. 18. The aggregate score wi

Aug. 22, 2013

Zenit closes in with big win

LONDON (AP) ― Roman Shirokov scored a hat trick Tuesday to put Zenit St. Petersburg on the brink of the Champions League group stage.Shirokov’s treble came as Zenit easily overcame Pacos Ferreira 4-1 in their first leg.Tuesday’s other matches saw teams claim two-goal advantages going into next week’s second legs.Kazakhstan champion Shakhter Karagandy stunned Scottish club Celtic 2-0, Real Sociedad won at Lyon by the same score and Viktoria Plzen beat Maribor 3-1 in the Czech Republic.A further 1

Aug. 21, 2013

High demand as WC ticket sales begin

SAO PAULO (AP) ― It was a frenzied start to FIFA’s attempt to fill the stands for next year’s World Cup in Brazil as fans applied Tuesday for more than 1 million tickets in just seven hours.But it will be some time before they know whether they’ll be among those lucky enough to get seats to football’s signature quadrennial event. Officials say applicants won’t hear back until October, after FIFA holds a random selection draw on all the requests.More than 163,000 people requested the tickets onli

Aug. 21, 2013

Nuke reactor shuts down on sudden malfunction

The Hanbit Nuclear Reactor 6, located in Younggwang, South Jeolla Province, suddenly halted operations on Wednesday afternoon due to mechanical failure, adding up to the concerns on electricity shortage.“The reactor suddenly went out of order and had to be suspended at 2:44 p.m.,” said an official of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation.As a result, the nation’s backup power level dropped from 4.5 million kilowatt level to 3.7 million kilowatts as of 3 p.m., which triggered the phase 3 al

Aug. 21, 2013

S. Korea to host Haiti in friendly

South Korea will host Haiti in an upcoming football friendly match, officials announced. The Korea Football Association said South Korea will face Haiti at Incheon Football Stadium, just west of Seoul, at 8 p.m. on Sept. 6.Iran had initially been scheduled to face South Korea on that day but abruptly pulled out of its commitment earlier this month.Haiti is ranked 74th in the latest FIFA rankings. South Korea is at No. 56. This will be the countries’ first meeting.The KFA also announced the venue

Aug. 20, 2013

Soccer prodigy debuts on Spanish League

South Korean soccer prodigy Kim Young-gyu made his debut in the Spanish Primera Liga Monday by playing for Almeria in its home opener against Villarreal FC.The 18-year-old winger, dubbed “Kiu” by Spanish media, was put in the game 38 minutes into the second half and clocked 10 minutes. Kim demonstrated his quickness and agility and even obtained a free kick from the opposition.His team fell to Villarreal 3-2.Kim was with Almeria’s reserve team until recently, but was called up just before the fi

Aug. 20, 2013

FC Seoul travels to Saudi Arabia for ACL quarters

FC Seoul is set to open the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League on the road against a Saudi Arabian opponent this week, looking to stay alive as the only Korean side in the top club competition in Asia.FC Seoul of the K League Classic and Al Ahli of the Saudi Professional League will play the opening match of their two-leg quarterfinals at King Abdulaziz Sport City Stadium at 3 a.m. on Thursday (Korean time).The second leg will be held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sept. 18. The aggregate

Aug. 19, 2013