Race for Korea's pro football MVP heating up

The race to win the top individual award in South Korean pro football is heating up with a top-scoring Brazilian striker and skillful midfielder for the league champions emerging as the top two candidates.The 2017 K League Classic title went to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last week with two matches remaining, but individual honors are still up for grabs. The K League is scheduled to announce its award winners on Nov. 20.The MVP is determined by votes from local football reporters. After the 12 K Leag

Nov. 2, 2017

National football director offers to resign following Hiddink controversy

South Korean football's technical director Kim Ho-gon decided to step down from his position Thursday after getting embroiled in a controversy over Guus Hiddink's coaching offer and a series of poor national team performances. Kim said it would be best for the organization and the men's national team if he no longer worked as the Korea Football Association technical committee chief or vice president. The 66-year-old was appointed as the technical director June 26, 11 days after German head coach

Nov. 2, 2017

Korea should benchmark Germany to develop football: Bundesliga legend

South Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun said Thursday his country should benchmark Germany to develop the sport in a healthy way.Cha, arguably South Korea's best footballer ever, said he believes that the men's national football team can overcome its current crisis by learning from Germany, the defending FIFA World Cup champions and current No. 1 in the world.South Korea managed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but football fans have been up in arms over their performance in re

Nov. 2, 2017

Usual suspects make Korean men's football team for Nov. friendlies

Some of the usual suspects made the South Korean men's football team Monday for a pair of friendly matches next month.Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min and Swansea City's Ki Sung-yeung were among 23 players on head coach Shin Tae-yong's team. The 62nd-ranked South Korea will host No. 13 Colombia at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. Four days later, South Korea will take on 38th-ranked Serbia at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 410 kilometers southeast of the capital

Oct. 30, 2017

S. Korean football technical director grilled in parliamentary audit over Hiddink issue

DAEJEON (Yonhap) -- South Korean football technical director Kim Ho-gon was grilled by lawmakers in a parliamentary audit session Monday over national team coaching issues regarding Guus Hiddink.South Korean football technical director Kim Ho-gon. YonhapKim, who leads the Korea Football Association (KFA)'s technical committee, was called to the witness stand for the National Assembly's Education, Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee audit session at Chungnam National University in Daejeon and

Oct. 23, 2017

Korea to host Nov. football friendlies in Suwon, Ulsan

South Korea's football governing body confirmed Monday the venues for the national team's two friendly matches at home next month.The Korea Football Association said the men's national football team will take on Colombia at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 46 kilometers south of Seoul, on Nov. 10, and they will host Serbia at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of the capital, on Nov. 14. Both matches will start at 8 p.m.  In this file photo taken Oct. 6, 2016, South

Oct. 23, 2017

Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores 1st EPL goal of season

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min has scored his first league goal of the season in his club's 4-1 win over Liverpool.Son scored Tottenham's second goal against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). With Spurs leading 1-0, Son found the net with his left foot as he redirected a cross from Harry Kane in the 12th minute.This was Son's first Premier League goal in the 2017-18 season. The 25-year-old South Korean scored in Spurs' 3-1 win over Borussia Do

Oct. 23, 2017

Korea crushed 6-0 by US in women's football friendly

South Korea have suffered their second straight defeat against the United States in women's football.South Korea, world No. 15, were blanked by the top-ranked US 6-0 at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, North Carolina, on Sunday (local time) after giving up four goals in the first half.This was South Korea's second straight loss to the US, which beat the visitors 3-1 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans last Thursday. The Taeguk Ladies now mark two draws and nine losses against the US in their

Oct. 23, 2017

Korean football chief apologizes for natl. team’s poor performance

South Korean soccer chief Chung Mong-gyu on Thursday apologized for the national team’s recent poor performance and vowed to use all available resources to help the Taeguk Warriors at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 　Chung, who leads the Korea Football Association, said he is aware of fans’ concern ahead of the World Cup and feels responsible for the current situation. 　“As the KFA president, I’m very sorry for the national team’s poor performance and any continued criticism against us,” Chung said at

Oct. 19, 2017

Park Ji-sung to hold soccer training session via online platform

Former soccer player Park Ji-sung will give an online class to share his skills and thoughts with the audience, Naver Sports said Tuesday.  (Yonhap)Park will serve as the first master of the “The Legend Class” series. The internet giant plans to help young and amateur soccer players by providing sports masters’ training tips and skills through the online video series. Park’s classes, filmed in London, are set to be aired via Naver Sports section every Monday from Oct. 19 to Dec. 21. Viewers can

Oct. 17, 2017

Korea fall out of top 60 in Oct. FIFA rankings

South Korea have dropped out of the top 60 in FIFA rankings following their disappointing losses in recent friendly matches. According to the October rankings unveiled by FIFA on Monday, South Korea fell 11 spots to No. 62 with 588 points, down 71 points from September. The men's national team, which qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup last month, started 2017 as the world's 37th-ranked team. South Korea, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, suffered two straight losses in friendly football matche

Oct. 16, 2017

Soccer legend Cha Bum-kun to be inducted into Korea's Sports Hall of Fame

South Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun will enter the country's Sports Hall of Fame, the national Olympic committee announced Monday.The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said Cha has been named as its "sports hero" for 2017. The 64-year-old took the honor after a panel of experts at the KSOC's sports hero selection committee evaluated his contributions to sports development and national prestige. Cha is the first footballer to be inducted into South Korea's Sports Hall of Fame. The KSOC said t

Oct. 16, 2017

S. Korea football coach vows to rebound from disappointing performances

South Korea football coach Shin Tae-yong vowed Sunday to rebound from disappointing performances in recent weeks, saying his side will show the utmost effort toward a turnaround starting next month. Shin returned home after two friendly matches in Europe and inspections of possible training bases for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.He also interviewed candidates for foreign assistant and fitness coach positions for the men's national team in Germany.  Shin Tae-yong (Yonhap)Shin was supposed to talk with

Oct. 15, 2017

Korea women's football coach says US friendlies will offer chance to grow

South Korea women's football coach Yoon Duk-yeo said Sunday that upcoming friendly matches with the United States will give them a chance to grow. The Taeguk Ladies have departed for the US for two friendly matches later this month. The South Koreans will first meet the Americans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Oct. 20 (Korean time), and the two sides will square off again three days later at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, North Carolina.  Yoon Duk-yeo (Yonhap)Yoon called up 23 playe

Oct. 15, 2017

Korean midfielder completes move to UAE's Shabab Al Ahli Club

South Korean attacking midfielder Moon Chang-jin has completed his move to the United Arab Emirates side Shabab Al Ahli Club, his South Korean club announced Friday. Gangwon FC in the top-flight K League Classic said Moon has terminated the contract with them by mutual consent and joined Al Ahli. The terms of his contract with the Dubai-based club weren't revealed. Gangwon said Al Ahli has been trying to acquire Moon since last month for their new season and the 24-year-old player recently told

Oct. 13, 2017

[Graphic News] FIFA pledges 'transparent' 2026 World Cup bid

　FIFA has promised to deliver a "transparent" bidding process for the 2026 World Cup after the controversy surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar.　The successful bid will have to "formally commit to conducting their activities based on sustainable event management principles and to respecting international human rights and labor standards" laid out by the United Nations.　A joint United States-Mexico-Canada bid is the favorite to host the 2026 tournament, wi

Oct. 12, 2017

Korea to see steep fall in Oct. FIFA rankings

South Korea will likely see a steep fall in the FIFA rankings for this month following their disappointing losses in recent friendly matches. The ranking prognosis tool offered in the FIFA website on Thursday showed South Korea are projected to mark 588 points for the October list, down 71 points from September when they were ranked at 51st in the world. Although final October FIFA rankings will be revealed on Monday, the Taeguk Warriors are destined to see a big drop from their current position

Oct. 12, 2017

Korean football coach vows to make Vietnam top team in Southeast Asia

Vietnam national football team's new South Korean head coach Park Hang-seo on Wednesday vowed to make his side the best among teams in Southeast Asia. Park officially signed a contract with the Vietnam Football Federation in Hanoi to lead its men's national team until 2020. Vietnamese media reported that Park will receive an annual salary of between $240,000 and $260,000."I will give all of my knowledge, philosophy and passion to Vietnam that selected me," Park said at a press conference. "I pur

Oct. 11, 2017

Korea fall to Morocco in friendly football match

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland -- South Korea fell 3-1 to Morocco in a friendly football match here on Tuesday.Morocco's Oussama Tannane grabbed a brace and Ismail Haddad added another goal to sink South Korea at Tissot Arena in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. South Korea's only goal came from Son Heung-min's penalty kick.This was South Korea's second friendly since they qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup last month. Three days ago, South Korea suffered a 4-2 loss to World Cup host Russia in Moscow.The l

Oct. 11, 2017

Korea in search of opponents for Nov. football friendlies

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland -- South Korea's football governing body is in search of opponents for the men's national team's friendly matches next month, an official said Tuesday, with priority given to European and South American countries. An official with the Korea Football Association said that South Korea plan to play two friendly matches at home during FIFA's international match day period between Nov. 6 and 14, and they are looking for opponents. "Since World Cup qualification is ongoing on

Oct. 10, 2017