Moreno calls up players amid reports of tension — Korea Herald

In Cheonan, South Korea, interim head coach of the men's national football team Robert Moreno announced a 26-player squad for friendly matches against Saudi Arabia and Qatar. As Korea Herald reports, the squad includes defender Kim Min-jae, midfielder Hwang In-beom and winger Hwang Hee-chan, who were mentioned in reports of possible tensions within the team.

Matches will be held in Doha

South Korea will play Saudi Arabia on November 13 and Qatar on November 17. Both matches will take place in Doha.

After the match against Uzbekistan on October 6, Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan allegedly told their teammates that they wanted to retire from the national team. According to the outlet, this may have been linked to their frustration with long-serving national team captain Son Heung-min.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Son will remain captain

Son Heung-min was also included in the squad. At a press conference at Korea Football Park, Moreno confirmed that the 34-year-old footballer would continue to serve as captain.

The coach said that he had spoken with all the players and made squad decisions solely based on their performance and benefit to the national team. According to him, every called-up player is ready to devote himself to the national team and the country, while the team's shared goal is to be competitive and win.

The November fixtures will be Moreno's fifth and sixth matches, after he was appointed in early September until November 27. In the previous four matches under his leadership, South Korea beat Ecuador 3-0 and Uzbekistan 2-0, lost 1-4 to Uruguay and drew 0-0 with Venezuela. The Korea Football Association had said it would consider extending the Spanish specialist's tenure through the Asian Cup, which begins in January, after six matches.