The South Korean press continues to uncover further intricacies as employees of the national team are revealed to have stolen players’ jerseys.
The Naver news portal in South Korea shocked readers with its report on the latest scandal involving the country’s football team. According to the report, a logistics staff member of the South Korean national team stole a large number of home jerseys from the team. This incident led to the national team having to wear away jerseys during the Asian Cup 2023 semi-final match against the Jordanian team.
Furthermore, allegations have arisen suggesting that the perpetrator of this theft was also involved in the gambling activities of players and staff of the South Korean team. This group faced severe criticism for organizing gambling activities while the national team was in training, preparing for the Asian Cup 2023. The implicated staff member was dismissed at the end of February.
According to an explanation from the Korea Football Association (KFA), players and staff only engaged in “very small” amounts of betting, using the money for coffee and snacks. This explanation, however, has failed to satisfy the majority of fans.
The KFA assessed: “The living space should only be used by players, but staff members were present. According to the investigation results, staff members played cards with players, and we believe this activity was inappropriate. Some played cards during training sessions in the UAE, but the amount involved was very small and vastly different from gambling.”
The Asian Cup 2023 was a tournament that saw the South Korean team facing many “storms.” Upon returning home after the defeat to Jordan in the semi-finals, the incident involving Lee Kang-in playing against his senior Son Heung-min was exposed in the media. Subsequently, the PSG midfielder faced a series of brands turning their backs on him, forcing him to publicly apologize to Son Heung-min.
Just three days ago, the revelation of South Korean national team players and staff engaging in gambling surfaced. Now, they are confronted with an internal management issue as their own “family members” are caught stealing. The Yonhap News Agency assesses that the internal disciplinary measures of the South Korean national team are deteriorating rapidly.
In the upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifiers, the South Korean team will face the Thai national team in two matches.