S. Korea files complaint over use of N. Korean anthem at youth football tournament

South Korea's football governing body said Tuesday it has filed a complaint against the Asian Football Confederation for playing the North Korean national anthem ahead of its national youth football team match. The Korea Football Association said that the national anthem of North Korea was played ahead of the match between South Korea and Jordan at the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship in Bekasi, Indonesia, on Monday. South Korean coaching staff and team officials then complained to the tournament orga

Oct. 23, 2018

Korean football club looking for second leg comeback to reach

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings will try to pull off a second leg comeback against Japan's Kashima Antlers this week to advance to the Asian Football Confederation Champions League final. Suwon will host Kashima at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, south of Seoul, on Wednesday for the second leg of their ACL semifinal match. The top team in West Asia will take on the winners between Persepolis of Iran and Al Sadd of Qatar from East Asia.  (Yonhap)Both Suwon and Kashima are com

Oct. 22, 2018

Messi to miss three weeks after fracturing right arm

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) -- Lionel Messi is expected to be out for three weeks after fracturing his right arm during Barcelona's win over Sevilla on Saturday.Messi will now miss Barca's Champions League game at home to Inter Milan on Wednesday, as well as the season's first Clasico four days later against Real Madrid.A Barcelona club statement read: "Tests carried out on Leo Messi have confirmed that he has a fracture of the radial bone in his right arm. He will be out for approximately three week

Oct. 21, 2018

Football player receives financial reward for rejecting match-fixing offer

South Korea's pro football league said Wednesday it gave a financial reward to a football player who rejected a match-fixing offer.The K League Commissioner Kwon Oh-gap handed 70 million won ($62,200) to Lee Han-saem of Asan Mugunghwa FC at its office for his righteous actions last month.(Yonhap)Lee rejected a match-fixing offer from former player Jang Hack-yong on Sept. 21. Jang then tried to lure Lee to receive a red card during a match against Busan IPark in exchange for 50 million won, but t

Oct. 17, 2018

Vietnam's Korean football coach visits homeland for training

INCHEON -- Vietnam's South Korean football coach Park Hang-seo returned to his homeland on Wednesday with his players to train for a regional tournament.Park, who manages Vietnam's under-23 and senior national football teams, arrived in South Korea with 30 Vietnamese players to fine-tune their preparations for the ASEAN Football Federation Championship, better known as the Suzuki Cup. The football tournament for Southeast Asian teams will be held from Nov. 8 to Dec. 15 in Thailand. Vietnam are l

Oct. 17, 2018

Football head coach hints at lineup changes in friendly vs. Panama

CHEONAN, South Korea -- South Korea football coach Paulo Bento on Monday hinted at making lineup changes for an upcoming friendly match against Panama. South Korea, 55th in the latest FIFA rankings, will face 70th-ranked Panama, at Cheonan Stadium in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on Tuesday. The two sides are meeting for the first time.  (Yonhap)Since he took the helm in August, Bento has been sticking to a 4-2-3-1 setup and has used the same back four comprised of Lee Yong, Jang Hyun-soo

Oct. 15, 2018

Bento expects Korea to ascend to next level through friendly vs. Uruguay

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- South Korean men's national football team head coach Paulo Bento said Thursday he believes a friendly match against Uruguay can take his team to the next level. South Korea, No. 55 in the latest FIFA rankings, will host fifth-ranked Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Friday. It will be Bento's third match with South Korea since he took the helm in August. Bento's side beat Costa Rica 2-0 and collected a 0-0 draw with Chile last month."Uruguay are very stron

Oct. 11, 2018

FIFA undertakes global initiative to grow the women's game

FIFA is rolling out a global strategy to grow the women's game in advance of next year's World Cup in France. Soccer's governing body has been ramping up its attention to the women's side of the sport for the past several years, partly in response to calls for more equity. The result is a five-pronged proposal that starts at the ground level among FIFA's 211 member associations, FIFA Chief Women's Football Officer Sarai Bareman said.   On July 5 of 2015, the US team defeated Japan 5-2 in the FIF

Oct. 11, 2018

Korea looking to end winless streak vs. Uruguay in friendly

South Korea will try to end a winless streak against Uruguay when they host the South American giants for a friendly football match this week. South Korea, ranked 55th in the September FIFA rankings, will face fifth-ranked Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Friday. It will be South Korea's first friendly this month before taking on Panama on Tuesday.South Korea have yet to beat Uruguay in men's football, only collecting one draw and six losses. The two sides last met in September 201

Oct. 10, 2018

S. Korea football coach aims to use friendlies as chance to find, fix problems

South Korea’s national football team head coach Paulo Bento said Monday he wants to find and fix problems that become apparent in friendly matches before his team competes in a continental competition next year. Bento’s side assembled at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, north of Seoul, to prepare for upcoming friendly matches.South Korea will take on Uruguay in Seoul on Friday and face Panama in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, four days later. South Korea had a 2-0 win against Co

Oct. 8, 2018

Son Heung-min says hectic schedule not a big problem

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean attacker Son Heung-min said Monday he feels fine with his tight schedule this season.Son is one of the 25 players called up for South Korea's friendly matches this month. The Taeguk Warriors will face Uruguay in Seoul on Friday and take on Panama in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, four days later.  South Korean football player Son Heung-min speaks to reporters at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul, on Oct. 8, 2018, ahead of the South Korean

Oct. 8, 2018

Former England captain Terry retires from football

Former England captain John Terry announced his retirement from football on Sunday with the 37-year-old central defender now set to pursue a career in management.Terry, who spent the bulk of his career with Chelsea, captained second-tier Aston Villa last season.Now the Birmingham club reportedly want him to join their coaching staff as part of a new-look set-up, with Thierry Henry in the running to take over as manager at Villa Park after Steve Bruce was sacked earlier this week. (AFP)"After 23

Oct. 8, 2018

Juventus support Ronaldo as Nike 'deeply concerned' by rape allegations

Italian champions Juventus on Thursday said rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo do not change their opinion of their superstar player, but US sportswear giant Nike said it was "deeply concerned".The Portuguese striker "has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus", the team said on Twitter, breaking their silence over the claims made by an American model."The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not cha

Oct. 5, 2018

Jeonbuk hope to clinch Korean pro football title before split

South Korean pro football club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are looking to make history by clinching the 2018 K League 1 title this weekend.Jeonbuk, led by head coach Choi Kang-hee, are having another successful season. The defending champions have yet to give up the top position in the standings since April and are on the verge of clinching their sixth K League 1 title.Jeonbuk will face No. 3 Ulsan Hyundai at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Sunday. Jeonbuk can defend their K League 1 title if they

Oct. 5, 2018

Ronaldo off the mark as Juventus maintain 100% record

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first competitive goals for Juventus on Sunday, with a second-half double that ensured a 2-1 win over Sassuolo to make it four victories from as many Serie A games.But there was controversy in Turin as Juventus winger Douglas Costa was sent off late on after being caught on camera spitting at Sassuolo's Federico Di Francesco.Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who arrived amid great pomp and ceremony following a 100-million-euro ($117 million) deal from Real Madrid

Sept. 17, 2018

Son Heung-min wraps up tight monthlong schedule with Korea

SUWON, Gyeonggi Province -- Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min wrapped up his tight monthlong schedule with South Korea on Tuesday before returning to the English Premier League. Son played full time in South Korea's 0-0 draw against Chile at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, south of Seoul. It was his last match before returning to Tottenham for his club duty.The friendly against Chile was Son's eighth match in 26 days. After having a tight Asian Games with the under-23 side in Indonesia,

Sept. 12, 2018

Chile football coach expects tight game vs. S. Korea

Chile national football coach Reinaldo Rueda said Monday he expects a tight match with South Korea, considering the quality of the two teams.Chile will face South Korea at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, south of Seoul, on Tuesday. It will be their second contest in men's football.  "It's going to be an interesting match," he said. "Considering the quality of the South Korean national team, it's going to be a tight match. We're also a good team, so both (teams) can get benefits from tomorrow's

Sept. 10, 2018

S. Korea blank Costa Rica 2-0 in Bento's coaching debut

South Korea defeated Costa Rica 2-0 in a men's football friendly match on Friday, giving their new coach Paulo Bento a victory in his debut before a sellout home crowd.    Midfielder Lee Jae-sung knocked home a rebound after Son Heung-min's penalty attempt rang off the post in the 35th at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, north of Seoul, while fellow midfielder Nam Tae-hee scored his first international goal in nearly two years for second-half insurance.   Bento, the former Portugal boss named South Kor

Sept. 8, 2018

Costa Rica football coach expects tough friendly vs. S. Korea

Costa Rica's interim football coach Ronald Gonzalez said Thursday he expects a tough match with South Korea even though the opponents are playing their first match under a new head coach.Costa Rica will face South Korea at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, north of Seoul, on Friday. For South Korea, it will be their first match with new head coach Paulo Bento.Gonzalez said he analyzed Bento's football in the past and expects South Korea to play a 4-3-3 formation for an aggressive and quick style of play

Sept. 6, 2018

Defender says S. Korean footballers eager to show their talent in front of new coach

South Korean defender Lee Yong said Thursday his national teammates are eager to display their talent to the new head coach and that will lead to good performances in the upcoming friendly match against Costa Rica.Lee is one of the 24 footballers who were selected by Paulo Bento for South Korea's friendly matches against Costa Rica and Chile. South Korea will first take on Costa Rica on Friday and then face Chile four days later.Lee said the players are set to deliver positive results in Bento's

Sept. 6, 2018