Paris Saint-Germain Midfielder Addresses Media After Scuffle with National Team Captain Son Heung-min

Courtesy of Lee Kang-in's instagram

Korean football player Lee Kang-in, midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, publicly apologized for his involvement in a locker room altercation during a recent tournament. The incident occurred during the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in Qatar, where Lee and some younger teammates left a team dinner early to play table tennis, prompting disagreement with national team captain Son Heung-min, who sought to utilize the occasion for team bonding before a match against Jordan.

The disagreement escalated into a physical confrontation between Lee and Son, resulting in a dislocated finger for Son. Following the incident, Lee faced public criticism for defying Son, a revered captain and popular athlete in Korea. 

▲ Courtesy of Lee Kang-in's instagram

Lee, speaking to the media for the first time since the altercation, expressed regret for letting down his fans and pledged to learn from the experience. He thanked caretaker boss Hwang Sun-hong for selecting him for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches and vowed to become a better person and football player.

Lee's apology came ahead of his inclusion in the national team for home-and-away World Cup qualifying matches against Thailand. He did not entertain questions from the media, and his statement was prepared independently.

▲ Courtesy of Son Heung-min's instagramSon Heung-min, addressing the prematch press conference, acknowledged Lee's apology to the team and expressed acceptance of it. He emphasized the courage required for Lee to apologize and indicated readiness to move forward from the incident.

Son also made light of his finger injury, suggesting he would be fine without it, referencing comments from his coach at Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou.

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Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com