Dispatch Reveals Damning Truth About Lee Kang In’s Fight With Son Heung Min In Scathing Exposé

Lee Kang In, Seol Young Woo, and Jung Woo Young are crouching on the floor. The three national team representatives sincerely threw a water bottle up in the air. As Seol Young Woo’s attempt lands, he dabs in celebration. 

From left: Lee Kang In, Seol Young Woo, and Jung Woo Young flipping water bottles | Dispatch

One fan leaves a comment in the video, “What are you guys doing? Aren’t you guys nervous about the game? I guess I am the only one that is nervous.”

Of course, there are different ways to calm your nerves. If landing water bottles helped them, then ok. But it’s different for these three. What these players need is to be nervous, especially as these three players were at the center of the table tennis fiasco that occurred a day earlier. Dispatch reports what occurred that night using eyewitness accounts from those at the scene.

Dinner Tactics

Jurgen Klinsmann’s dinner philosophy is, “Whether you wash before you eat or eat before you wash, please handle it yourself.” The team eats dinner for 2 hours. Klinsmann also leaves the team to handle dinner. Dinner for the national team isn’t a simple meal. It’s a time for players to discuss games and grow camaraderie. Dinners become all that more important on nights before a big game.

The national team practiced for Jordan on February 6. The practice didn’t go well. Due to this, a heavy atmosphere clouded the team. As for dinner, the players washed and gathered one by one. The coaching staff gathered around the same time. Yet Lee Kang In was nowhere to be seen.

Play Room

At the time, Lee Kang In, Seol Young Woo, and Jung Woo Young were playing table tennis in the playroom. The room is a resting lounge near the cafeteria with a table tennis set inside.

While other players and coaches were eating dinner, screams of “Wow,” “Ah,” and “Oh” were coming from the room. The three played table tennis like this for a long time.

One senior player, who couldn’t take it anymore, called the players. Son Heung Min then spoke to them, asking, “Are you guys here on a training trip?” Focus on the game.”

Lee Kang In then responded, “It’s not like playing table tennis at night is breaking the rules.” Of course, playing table tennis isn’t inherently bad. The issue was the time and place.

Fist To Cuffs

Son Heung Min grabbed the collar of Lee Kang In’s shirt. Lee Kang In retaliated and threw a punch at Son Heung Min. Son Heung Min, who didn’t have time to evade it was punched in the face.

The cafeteria became a circus. Players were scuffling with one another, and security guards attempted to break them up. During the fray, Son Heung Min’s finger were twisted in the shape of a ㄱ. That is how he picked up his injury.

After Son Heung Min calmed his anger, he went to Lee Kang In first telling him, “Let’s focus on the game tomorrow” and put his hand out for handshake. Lee Kang In then replied that he was sorry.

Was that enough to blow the incident over? The senior players couldn’t accept Lee Kang In’s action. This was exasperated by the fact that the players were already sick and tired of Lee Kang In’s antics.

Take Lee Kang In Out

A faction of the team sought out coach Klinsmann on the day of the semi-finals. They asked that Lee Kang In be out of the starting lineup. They felt that salvaging what little teamwork they had left was most important.

“Do it for me” Klinsmann didn’t do as they asked. He ignored the issues within the teams and neglected the players’ concerns. He started Lee Kang In, stating, “Lee Kang In is a player I need to use.”

In truth, Klinsmann knew the issues. On the night of the incident, Klinsmann wrote on his social media account that “It takes a team to build a dream.“

Despite this, the coach neglected his duties. He emphasized teamwork but chose players that “Do it for him.” This is worse than not having tactics as a coach. 

Ferguson’s Win

Sir Alex Ferguson once said, “What starts in the locker room needs to end in the locker room.” Coach Ferguson emphasized trust within the team. He believed that incidents that occur within the team must stay within the team and that if they were leaked, it would lead to distrust among the players.

But the Korean Football Association quickly rushed to confirm the reports of what had occurred inside the locker room (cafeteria). As a matter of fact, they made the controversy bigger by stating, “We received reports saying that players were involved in an altercation.”

Another piece of Ferguson’s wisdom is, “There is no player that is greater than the team.”

Lee Kang In might be the future of Paris Saint-Germain F.C. (PSG). But he cannot be the future of Korean football. Football isn’t table tennis. It’s a sport played by 11 members.