7 more from Seongnam FC test positive for COVID-19

Seven additional people from South Korean football club Seongnam FC have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the total caseload on the team to 22. Seongnam announced Monday that five players and two staffers have been diagnosed with COVID-19. After the first case from the K League 1 club was reported on July 11, the rest of the team received tests. The team now has 14 players and eight staffers on the COVID-19 list. Those who initially tested negative have since exhibited sympt

July 19, 2021

8 K League matches postponed due to COVID-19

Eight matches in the top South Korean football league have been canceled due to a rising number of coronavirus infections across the circuit. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced Friday that eight matches scheduled for July in the first-tier K League 1 will be contested at a later date to guard against the further spread of COVID-19. Four clubs -- Seongnam FC, Jeju United, Daegu FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors -- have reported 18 positive COVID-19 cases so far. The eight

July 16, 2021

4 more players for Seongnam FC test positive for COVID-19

Seongnam FC said Thursday four additional players have been infected with the novel coronavirus, raising the total on the K League 1 football team to 15. Nine players and six staff members for Seongnam are now on the COVID-19 list. The first positive case for the K League 1 club was reported Sunday. The rest of the team, 46 players, coaches and staffers, immediately received polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Two players and five staffers received positive results Monday, followed by one

July 15, 2021

2 additional players for football club Seongnam test positive for COVID-19

South Korean football club Seongnam FC announced Wednesday two additional players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the total on the team to 11. Previously, three players and six staff members from Seongnam had been infected with COVID-19. The first positive case for the K League 1 was reported Sunday. The rest of the team, 46 players, coaches and staffers, immediately received polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Seongnam said the two newly infected players had initi

July 14, 2021

S. Korean players believe Argentina beatable in potential rematch in Olympic football tourney

Throughout his team's training camp for the upcoming Olympic men's football tournament, South Korean head coach Kim Hak-bum has been trying to hammer home one constant message. Play with confidence, and don't be scared against anyone. And that message appears to have gotten through to midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong, who scored a breathtaking goal against Argentina in a pre-Tokyo tuneup match Tuesday. Lee's thunderous midrange strike in the 34th minute tied the score at 1-1 at Yongin Mireu Stadium

July 14, 2021

2 more pro football players test positive for COVID-19

Two additional players in the top South Korean football league have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, as the pandemic threatens to disrupt the upcoming match schedule even further. Seongnam FC of the K League 1 announced Tuesday a ninth member of the club tested positive for COVID-19. Previously, six staff members and two players had turned in positive results after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Seongnam said all 46 players, coaches and staffers who took part in training camp

July 13, 2021

S. Korea keeping things close to vest ahead of final Olympic football tuneups

Entering their final stretch of preparation for the Olympic men's football tournament, South Korea will host a pair of Tokyo-bound countries in tuneup matches this week. South Korea will first take on Argentina at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, about 50 kilometers south of Seoul. Then at 8 p.m. Friday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, South Korea will face France. Coached by Kim Hak-bum, South Korea will depart for Japan on Saturday. In his prematch press conference Monday, Ki

July 12, 2021

8 members of football club Seongnam test positive for COVID-19

Eight members of the South Korean football club Seongnam FC have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, putting the resumption of their season next week in jeopardy. Seongnam and the Korea Professional Football League (K League) said Monday that two players and five staff members received positive results earlier in the day, hours after one of their coaches tested positive late Sunday. Seongnam said 31 players and 15 staffers were tested, and two are expected to get their results Tuesday.

July 12, 2021

Daegu FC reach knockouts at AFC Champions League for 1st time

Daegu FC have qualified for the round of 16 at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League for the first time, joining three other South Korean clubs in the knockouts at the continent's top club competition. Daegu blanked United City 4-0 in their final Group I match at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent on Sunday (local time) and locked down the second seed in the group. Four players chipped in a goal apiece, with Tsubasa Nishi opening the scoring in the 37th minute. This will be Daegu'

July 12, 2021

Jeonbuk finish group play undefeated, Pohang advance to knockouts at AFC Champions League

The South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have extended their undefeated streak to six matches at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, while also helping another team from the country join them in the knockout stage. Jeonbuk defeated Gamba Osaka 2-1 in their final Group H match played at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent on Saturday (local time). Gustavo and Mo Barrow had a goal apiece for Jeonbuk, which won their group with 16 points from five wins and a draw. And Gamba Os

July 11, 2021

Defending champs Ulsan reach round of 16 at AFC Champions League

Defending champions Ulsan Hyundai FC have qualified for the knockout stage at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, moving forward in their bid for a second consecutive title at the continent's top club football tournament. The South Korean club defeated Viettel 3-0 at Pathum Thani Stadium in Bangkok on Thursday (local time) for their fifth consecutive victory in Group F. Sitting at 15 points with one match remaining against BG Pathum United on Sunday, Ulsan have assured them

July 9, 2021

Jeonbuk become 1st K League team to clinch knockout berth at AFC Champions League

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have become the first South Korean team to secure a knockout spot at the top continental club football tournament. Jeonbuk defeated Chiangrai United 3-1 in their Group H match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent on Wednesday (local time). Jeonbuk improved to 13 points on four wins and a draw to secure the top spot in the group with one match remaining against Gamba Osaka on Saturday. The AFC Champions League expand

July 8, 2021

One K League match postponed following positive COVID-19 case

An upcoming professional football match has been postponed after a player tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Korea Professional Football League announced Wednesday the K League 1 contest between Jeju United and FC Seoul, scheduled for July 20, will be played at a later date. The league has not yet determined when the match will be made up. One Jeju player tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. While the rest of the team all tested negative, many players were listed as close conta

July 7, 2021

Players on fringe determined to help Olympic football team any way they can

PAJU -- When the 24-year-old midfielder Kim Jin-gyu didn't make the South Korean men's Olympic football team at first last week, he had a mixed bag of emotions. He was disappointed that he wasn't selected as one of 18 players by head coach Kim Hak-bum last Wednesday, but he was also somewhat relieved that he wouldn't be going through the pressure cooker that is the Olympic tournament. But Kim's fate changed in less than 24 hours. FIFA decided to grant a special expansion of rosters for all men

July 7, 2021

Tokyo-bound midfielder ready to apply lessons learned from previous Olympics

On South Korea's 22-man Olympic football roster headed to Tokyo this month, Kwon Chang-hoon is the only player with prior Summer Games experience. And it wasn't a particularly memorable one, as South Korea got knocked out of the quarterfinals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Kwon did more than his part, notching three goals and one assist in four matches, but it wasn't enough to send South Korea deeper into the tournament. Now 27, Kwon is back in the Olympic mix, this time as one of three

July 5, 2021

AFC Champions League knockout matches to be played over one leg due to COVID-19 concerns

All knockout matches at Asia's top club football tournament this year will be played over one leg in centralized venues, the sport's continental governing body announced Monday, citing the need to minimize traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said it has rescheduled knockout matches at its signature club tournament, AFC Champions League, from the home-and-away format to single-leg ties. The round of 16 matches were already set to be one-and-done affair

July 5, 2021

S. Korea coach's answer to time-wasting antics: play better

Having been paired with four Middle Eastern nations in the final World Cup qualifying round, South Korea will likely have to deal with some frustrating time-wasting antics. In Group A of the final Asian qualification stage for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, South Korea will take on Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Syria and Lebanon. Those countries are particularly famous for resorting to moves to kill the clock if they have a lead, including feigning injuries and taking their time before

July 5, 2021

Commemorative medals for footballer Son Heung-min go on sale

DAEJEON  -- Special limited medals produced to celebrate the distinguished career of Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min went on sale Monday, according to the state-run minting agency. Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp. (KOMSCO) said the medals themed on the 28-year-old striker for Tottenham Hotspur in two designs -- coin and paper money -- are available for purchase on the company's website. KOMSCO said it produced 7,700 units, in reference to S

July 5, 2021

Son Heung-min left off S. Korean Olympic team despite green light from Tottenham: source

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min wasn't selected for his country's Olympic football team despite getting permission from his English Premier League club, an informed source said Thursday. Son, 28, was not picked as an overage player for South Korea's under-24 football team for the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday. The Olympic football tournament is typically reserved for players under 23, and the age limit has been raised to 24 for Tokyo because the competition was postponed by o

July 1, 2021

French league striker Hwang Ui-jo named to S. Korean men's Olympic football team

French league striker Hwang Ui-jo will lead South Korea's attack in their bid for an Olympic men's football medal in Japan this summer. Hwang was one of 18 players named to the South Korean men's Olympic team Wednesday. Head coach Kim Hak-bum unveiled two goalkeepers, six defenders, five midfielders and five forwards at a press conference in Seoul. The Olympic men's football tournament is typically open to players 23 and younger, but the age limit for the Tokyo Games has been raised to 24 beca

June 30, 2021