“I have to give it a chance… .”
Chung Mong-gyu (61), head of the Korea Football Association, asked soccer players about the future of Kim Eun-joong, who made the semifinals at the 2023 Argentina Under-20 (U-20) World Cup.
Chairman Chung attended the ‘2023 Soccer Golf Tournament’ held at Oak Hills CC in Wonju on the 13th and said, “When our players go to the finals, we tried to go to Argentina on a 5-day schedule. You did really well. (K League) Coaches need to give these young players a chance. I always ask for it, but it’s not easy.”토토사이트
Chairman Chung’s earnest request is that he wants to make young people who stood out in the U-20 World Cup into the ‘golden generation’. If those who showed off their splendid talent grow as expected, Korean soccer can expect competitiveness that surpasses that of Asia.
The problem is that the environment in which that talent can flourish is not prepared. Looking at past cases, it is not uncommon for players who stand out in the national team by age group to not play as a starting player for their team.
The reality is that among the Polish members who made it to the final four years ago, most of them are still on the bench. Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) is the only player who has risen to the top of the adult national team.
Chairman Chung said, “I know well what I have to do best up and down to get a place as a starting player in the national team.” “The coaches need to give chances in games they are clearly winning or losing.”
At Director Chung’s request, the leaders who met on the field nodded and expressed the limitations of reality. It means that it is not easy on the professional stage, where it is normal to suffer hardship depending on the performance in front of you.
Lee Min-seong, head coach of Daejeon Hana Citizen, emphasized that Bae Jun-ho, who showed off his talent in Argentina, is already in the middle, but he is a special case. Coach Lee said, “I am writing because I am a necessary player for our team,” and “(To guarantee participation), we must guarantee the contract extension to the coaches.”
Jeong Jeong-yong, managing director Kim Chun, who directly led the Polish tournament runner-up, thought differently. Coach Jeong said, “I have the idea that the players who played an active part in this tournament should play a lot in their teams,” but “I also need to check the competitiveness of the two players, Young-Jun Lee and Jun-Hong Kim.”
He said, “I think the best alternative is to activate detailed age-specific leagues like overseas. investment is needed I hope to actively utilize the K4 League,” he added.
Contrary to Chairman Chung’s wish, some argued that the existing system needs to be revamped. Ha Seok-joo, head coach of Ajou University, said, “It is true that the competitiveness of domestic prospects is getting higher and higher. However, there is also a problem with the K-League’s 22-year-old compulsory participation rule, which means that college seniors (who have not entered the professional league before that age) retire early. I would like to improve this part,” he said.