Ex-South Korea coach Shin to take over struggling Indonesia

JAKARTA (AFP) -- Former South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong has been tapped to take over Indonesia's struggling national team, the country's football association said on Friday.Shin, who led South Korea at last year's World Cup in Russia -- where they famously ousted defending champions Germany -- is expected to be formally unveiled on Saturday."We have invited Shin to finalise the contract. After that he will be introduced later on Saturday," Mochamad Iriawan, chairman of the Football Ass

Dec. 27, 2019

N. Korea to skip women's Olympic football qualifying tournament in S. Korea: source

North Korea will not compete in an Olympic women's football qualifying tournament scheduled for next February in South Korea, a source told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.According to the source, North Korea recently informed the Asian Football Confederation that they will not enter the third round of the Asian qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.That competition will run from Feb. 3-9, 2020, on the South Korean island of Jeju."North Korea didn't give reasons for their withdrawal, and t

Dec. 25, 2019

Tottenham fail with appeal against Son red card

LONDON (AFP) -- Tottenham Hotspur have failed with their appeal against Son Heung-min's red card, the Football Association announced Tuesday.The South Korean winger saw red in the second half of Spurs' 2-0 loss at home to Chelsea in a spiteful London derby on Sunday after VAR confirmed he had kicked out at Blues defender Antonio Rudiger after being fouled. Tottenham launched an appeal but the FA upheld his red card, meaning Son will now serve a three-game ban ruling him out of the matches at hom

Dec. 25, 2019

Rudiger racism row takes new twist amid reports of Son abuse

LONDON (AFP) -- The latest racism row engulfing English football took a fresh turn Monday amid reports Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min as well as Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger had been abused by spectators during Sunday's fractious London derby.Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League win at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium saw referee Anthony Taylor halt play during the second half when Rudiger complained of hearing monkey noises from spectators.Moments earlier, the Chelsea defender had been involved in a clash

Dec. 24, 2019

Son Heung-min named top S. Korean player for record 4th time

South Korean men's national football captain Son Heung-min has been named the country's best player of the year for a record fourth time.The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on Thursday that Son, the attacking stalwart for Tottenham Hotspur, was voted the Male Player of the Year for 2019. Son was also honored in 2013, 2014 and 2017. The fourth award breaks a tie with three-time honoree Ki Sung-yueng, who earned the award in 2011, 2012 and 2016.Son topped the voting by the media and the

Dec. 20, 2019

Son Heung-min named top S. Korean player for record 4th time

South Korean men‘s national football captain Son Heung-min has been named the country’s best player of the year for a record fourth time.The Korea Football Association announced on Thursday that Son, the attacking stalwart for Tottenham Hotspur, was voted the Male Player of the Year for 2019.Son was also honored in 2013, 2014 and 2017. The fourth award breaks a tie with three-time honoree Ki Sung-yueng, who earned the award in 2011, 2012 and 2016. Son topped the voting by the media a

Dec. 19, 2019

Barcelona, Real draw as Clasico marred by violence

BARCELONA (AFP) -- Barcelona and Real Madrid could not be separated on Wednesday in a Clasico that was overshadowed by violent clashes between Catalan independence protestors and police outside Camp Nou.After being postponed in October, there were renewed fears of unrest around Spain's most famous fixture and while the match was only briefly interrupted by yellow beach balls thrown onto the pitch, outside the stadium, chaos ensued.Masked protesters had set bins on fire and thrown rocks and glass

Dec. 19, 2019

S. Korea finish second to Japan at E. Asian women's football tournament

Hosts South Korea finished in second place at a women's East Asian football tournament on Tuesday following a 1-0 loss to Japan.Yuka Momiki converted an 88th-minute penalty, awarded after defender Shim Seo-yeon's handball violation in the box, and the Nadeshiko Japan held on to win the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship for the third time.The two sides fired blanks at one another for most of the tight, defensive affair at Busan Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southe

Dec. 17, 2019

Son Heung-min named Tottenham's MVP for 2019 by football research group

Accolades keep flowing for Son Heung-min.The South Korean football star was named MVP of Tottenham Hotspur for the calendar year 2019 on Monday by the CIES Football Observatory, a research group within the Switzerland-based International Centre for Sports Studies. Founded in 2005, the CIES Football Observatory specializes in the statistical analysis of football. The research group named MVPs for each club in Europe's five major circuits: the Premier League in England, Bundesliga in Germany, La L

Dec. 17, 2019

Son Heung-min named top S. Korean athlete in 3rd straight annual poll

Tottenham Hotspur's attacking ace Son Heung-min has topped the survey of South Korea's best athletes for the third straight year.Gallup Korea announced the findings of its annual survey on athletes Thursday. In a poll of 1,700 South Koreans over the age of 13 from Nov. 8 to 28, Son earned an overwhelming support of 82 percent. Respondents could select up to two athletes. It's the highest level of support since the poll began in 2007.Ryu Hyun-jin, a free agent pitcher who played for the Los Angel

Dec. 12, 2019

S. Korea beat Hong Kong 2-0 to start men's E. Asian football tournament

BUSAN -- Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Hwang In-beom scored a free kick as South Korea squeezed past Hong Kong 2-0 to open an East Asian men's football tournament at home on Wednesday.FC Tokyo midfielder Na Sang-ho headed home an insurance goal in the second half, helping South Korea take their first match of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.South Korea, world No. 41, are trying to win their thir

Dec. 12, 2019

S. Korea draw 0-0 with China in Bell's coaching debut at East Asian women's football tourney

South Korea played China to a scoreless draw to open an East Asian women's football tournament at home on Tuesday, unable to deliver a win in Englishman Colin Bell's coaching debut with the Taeguk Ladies.The two Asian sides had few serious chances to kick off with a win at the women's competition of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship at Busan Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.South Korea, world No. 20, now have four wins, six draws and 27 losses

Dec. 10, 2019

'Son-aldo!': Mourinho salutes South Korean's wonder-goal

LONDON (AFP) -- Jose Mourinho hailed Son Heung-min's wonder-strike in Tottenham's 5-0 thrashing of Burnley as the best goal he has seen since an equally stunning effort from Brazilian legend Ronaldo.On the day he was presented with the AFC Asian International Player of the Year award by compatriot Park Ji-sung, Son underlined his place among the game's elite with arguably the greatest goal of his glittering career.With Spurs already rampant after early goals from Harry Kane and Lucas Moura, Son

Dec. 8, 2019

Lionel Messi wins Ballon d'Or for sixth time

PARIS (AFP) -- Lionel Messi won a record sixth men's Ballon d'Or award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, beating Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to take the honours.Now aged 32, it is Messi's first Ballon d'Or since 2015 and his sixth overall as he moves one ahead of his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third in the voting.Messi, who attended the ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital with his wife and children, succeeds Luka Modric, the Real Madrid and Croatia midfie

Dec. 3, 2019

Son Heung-min becomes top Asian finisher in Ballon d'Or voting

South Korean football star Son Heung-min has become the top Asian finisher in voting for the prestigious Ballon d'Or Award.In a ceremony held in Paris on Monday (local time), Son, the South Korean men's national captain and attacking ace for Tottenham Hotspur, came in 22nd place among 30 nominees in balloting for the annual award recognizing the world's best football player. FC Barcelona icon Lionel Messi bagged his record sixth Ballon d'Or to break a tie with Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo. Pr

Dec. 3, 2019

S. Korean heroes at FIFA U-20 World Cup recognized with Asian football awards

Heroes for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup runners-up, South Korea, were feted at the annual Asian football awards ceremony on Monday.Chung Jung-yong, former head coach of the U-20 national team, was named the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Coach of the Year at the AFC Awards in Hong Kong, for guiding the upstart South Korea to the final at the world's premier youth tournament in June. South Korea fell to Ukraine 3-1 in the final in Poland, but it was still the country's highest finish at a FIF

Dec. 2, 2019

K League MVP faces uncertain future as loan from Japan expires

The reigning K League 1 MVP Kim Bo-kyung is entering an offseason of uncertainty, as his loan deal from Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol to Ulsan Hyundai FC expired with the season's conclusion last weekend.After accepting the trophy for the top individual award in South Korean pro football on Monday, Kim said nothing has been determined about his immediate future. "I know I've reached a point where I have to make a decision," the 30-year-old midfielder said. "As important as my own o

Dec. 2, 2019

Title-winning bench boss earns top coaching award in K League

Jose Morais, who guided Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to their third consecutive K League 1 championship, was named the top head coach in South Korean professional football on Monday.  Morais received the Coach of the Year award at the annual K League Awards ceremony in Seoul, about 24 hours after Jeonbuk clinched their record-tying seventh title. Morais won 32.67 points, converted from votes cast by media, fellow head coaches and club captains. Pohang Steelers' Kim Gi-dong was the runner-up with

Dec. 2, 2019

Messi and Rapinoe expected to take Ballon d'Or honours

PARIS (AFP) -- Lionel Messi and USA women's World Cup superstar Megan Rapinoe are tipped to leave Paris later on Monday with the 2019 Ballon d'Or awards.It would be an enormous shock if Rapinoe did not depart the Chatelet Theatre with the women's prize as she returns to the country where she was the driving force on and off the field for the United States as they retained their title.The suspense surrounds the identity of the men's winner, 12 months after Croatia's Luka Modric claimed the crown

Dec. 2, 2019

Hometown of popular football coach Park Hang-seo pushes to create Vietnam-style village

SANCHEONG, South Korea  -- Sancheong County in southeastern South Korea, which has gained fame as the hometown of Park Hang-seo, the popular South Korean head coach of Vietnam‘s national football team, will push to build a Vietnam-friendly village to attract more tourists from the Southeast Asian country, officials said Saturday.The South Gyeongsang Province county, about 360 kilometers southeast of Seoul, said it has mapped out a basic plan this year to create a Vietnamese village in

Nov. 30, 2019