10-man S. Korea defeat Iraq in final Asian Cup tuneup

South Korea held off Iraq 1-0 in their final tuneup match before the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Midfielder Lee Jae-sung scored the first goal late in the first half at New York University Abu Dhabi Stadium, but the Taegeuk Warriors were unable to add to that lead in the second half despite dominating the run of play. South Korea played the final handful of minutes a man down after Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in was sent off on his second yellow c

Jan. 7, 2024

Klinsmann says S. Koreans have 'a lot of belief' that they can win Asian Cup

Jurgen Klinsmann, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, said Tuesday his players are confident they can end a decadeslong drought at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup kicking off this month in Qatar. "We're ready to go to Qatar. We're full of energy. We have a lot of belief that we can do well in Qatar and bring the Asian Cup back to Korea after 64 years," Klinsmann said during the annual Korea Football Association (KFA) Awards ceremony in

Jan. 2, 2024

Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae voted top S. Korean footballer of 2023

Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae was named the top South Korean male football player for 2023 on Tuesday, earning his first annual honor and snapping a four-year winning streak by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Tuesday that Kim won the Male Player of the Year award after earning 137 points in a vote by football journalists and members of the KFA's technical development committee and national team committee. Son, who has won a record se

Jan. 2, 2024

Wolves announce extension for S. Korean attacker Hwang Hee-chan

Wolverhampton Wanderers have announced their new deal with South Korean international Hwang Hee-chan, keeping him on board until 2028 with an option for an extra year. The deal was first reported by Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano early last week and then confirmed by Wolves head coach Gary O'Neil last Friday, before the club made it official Thursday. Hwang leads Wolves this season with a career-high eight goals in the league and nine goals in all competitions. He is sixth over

Dec. 22, 2023

S. Korea remain at No. 23 in last FIFA rankings before Asian Cup

South Korea stayed at No. 23 in the last edition of the FIFA rankings before the top Asian men's competition kicks off next month. FIFA unveiled its final edition of the men's rankings for 2023 on Thursday evening. Coached by Jurgen Klinsmann, South Korea remained at No. 23. They are the third-highest ranked team in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), trailing Japan (No. 17) and Iran (No. 21). That trio will be among the favorites to be crowned the champions at the AFC Asian Cup, w

Dec. 22, 2023

Offside technology to make Asian Cup debut in Qatar

A new offside technology that made its FIFA World Cup debut last year in Qatar will be implemented at the top Asian men's football tournament for the first time next month in the same country, the continental football governing body has said. The Asian Football Confederation announced Tuesday that the Semi-Automated Offside Technology will make its AFC Asian Cup debut and will be used in all 51 matches of the Jan. 12-Feb. 10 tournament. The AFC will be the first confederation to apply the s

Dec. 20, 2023

Kim Min-jae scores 1st goal for Bayern in win

South Korean football defender Kim Min-jae has scored his first goal for the German side Bayern Munich. The center back headed in a corner taken by Aleksandar Pavlovic in the 63rd minute to round out the scoring in Bayern's 3-0 win over VfB Stuttgart at Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday. Kim also assisted the second of Harry Kane's two goals in the 55th minute for his first helper in the Bundesliga. Bayern, going for their 12th consecutive Bundesliga title, improved to 35 points, four

Dec. 18, 2023

Pohang Steelers name club legend Park Tae-ha as new head coach

Pohang Steelers announced Friday they have named club legend Park Tae-ha as their new head coach. The K League 1 club said Park, 55, has agreed to a two-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. Park spent his entire playing career with Pohang, from 1991 to 2001. During his time, Pohang won the 1992 K League title, the 1996 FA Cup and captured consecutive Asian Football Confederation Champions League titles in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 seasons. Park served as team captain from 1998 to 200

Dec. 15, 2023

FIFA takes down controversial Japanese flag in promo image

FIFA recently changed one of its promotional images for the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023, after South Korean fans complained over the controversial "Rising Sun" flag design in it. The image, posted on FIFA World Cup's official Instagram account, introduces the Urawa Red Diamond, participating in the event as the winners of the 2022 AFC Champions league. South Koreans, however, took issues with what appeared to be a Rising Sun flag in the background. Upon a flurry of comme

Dec. 14, 2023

3 out of 4 K League clubs reach knockouts at AFC Champions League

Three out of four South Korean sides competing at Asia's top club football tournament have reached the knockout phase, with the one team missing the party by a tiny margin. Ulsan Hyundai FC, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Pohang Steelers of the K League 1 have advanced to the round of 16 at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League, while Incheon United, also representing the K League 1, were sent packing this week. There were 10 groups of four in the group stage, with clubs in "We

Dec. 14, 2023

S. Korean int'l Hwang In-beom scores 1st Champions League goal in loss

South Korean national team midfielder Hwang In-beom finally has his first goal in the UEFA Champions League, though he won't get a chance to add to that total this season with his club Crvena zvezda eliminated. Hwang scored a goal and set up another in the Serbian side's 3-2 loss to Manchester City in the teams' final Group G match of the top European club competition in Belgrade on Wednesday. Crvena zvezda had already been eliminated from knockout contention after their 2-1 loss

Dec. 14, 2023

Tottenham's Son Heung-min nets 10th goal of season in win over Newcastle

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has reached double digits in goals for the eighth consecutive Premier League season. Son netted his 10th goal of the 2022-2023 campaign in a 4-1 victory over Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. The skipper for Spurs also collected two assists in the win, the club's first in five matches. Tottenham also snapped their three-match losing skid at home. Son, voted the Man of the Match, has now scored at least 10 goals in his eight

Dec. 11, 2023

Footballer Hwang's sister-in-law indicted for disclosing his private videos

A sister-in-law of football player Hwang Ui-jo was indicted Friday on charges of exposing his intimate videos online and threatening to make more revelations, officials said. The wife of Hwang's elder brother is accused of sharing intimate photos and videos of him spending time with women on Instagram in June, pretending to be a former lover of Hwang. She also claimed the South Korea forward had slept with several women and inflicted damage on them, threatening Hwang through text message to

Dec. 8, 2023

Busan IPark on verge of K League promotion as final playoff battle looms

After playing the past three seasons in the second division of South Korean football, Busan IPark are poised for promotion to the top competition for 2024 with one final playoff match scheduled for the weekend. Busan will visit Suwon FC for the second leg of their K League promotion-relegation playoff at 2 p.m. Saturday at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, just south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. The winner will play in the K League 1 next year, and the loser will end up in the K League 2 in 2024. Busan

Dec. 8, 2023

Wolves' Hwang Hee-chan nets 8th goal of season in victory

Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers has netted his eighth goal of the Premier League season, keeping pace with the league leaders in the scoring race. Hwang scored in the 42nd minute to help Wolves past Burnley 1-0 at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, on Tuesday (local time). It snapped Wolves' two-match losing skid, as they improved to 18 points on five wins, three draws and seven losses. Hwang climbed into a three-way tie for fourth place in goals in the Premier League, jo

Dec. 6, 2023

K League's MVP has no regrets over turning down lucrative offer to stay put in S. Korea

Ulsan Hyundai FC defender Kim Young-gwon was voted the most valuable player (MVP) in South Korean football's top division Monday, and to hear the man himself tell it, Kim almost didn't even make it this far into the season to grab that award. After accepting his K League 1 MVP trophy at an awards ceremony in Seoul, Kim revealed that he had a lucrative offer from a foreign club during this season. Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo convinced Kim to stay with Ulsan, and the center back helpe

Dec. 4, 2023

Son Heung-min nets 9th goal of season, scores own goal in draw vs. Man City

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has grabbed sole possession of third place in the Premier League scoring race, with a goal against defending champions Manchester City in a 3-3 draw. The Spurs skipper, though, also scored one into his own net in this wild away match. Son opened the scoring after only six minutes at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on Sunday with his ninth goal of the campaign. In a counterattack opportunity, Son broke from inside his own half to take a long pass from Dej

Dec. 4, 2023

Suwon Samsung Bluewings suffer 1st relegation in K League football

Suwon Samsung Bluewings were relegated to the second division in South Korean football for the first time in their club history Saturday, following a goalless draw against Gangwon FC at home. Suwon Samsung finished the 2023 K League 1 season in last place with 33 points on eight wins, nine draws and 21 losses, and suffered direct relegation to the K League 2 for 2024. In order to avoid direct relegation, Suwon Samsung had to defeat Gangwon at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, just south of Seoul

Dec. 2, 2023

Footballer Hwang Ui-jo banned from nat'l team during police probe into illegal filming charges

The South Korea football governing body announced Tuesday forward Hwang Ui-jo will be banned from the national team until the conclusion of an ongoing police investigation into charges that he'd filmed a sexual encounter with a woman without consent. The Korea Football Association (KFA) reached the decision following a meeting of representatives from its ethics committee and national team technical committee earlier in the day. The KFA held the meeting after being criticized for putting Hwa

Nov. 28, 2023

Former England soccer manager Terry Venables dies aged 80

Terry Venables, the former manager of England's national soccer team and clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona, has died aged 80 after an illness, his family said on Sunday. "We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness," the family said in a statement. (Reuters)

Nov. 26, 2023