Head coach Hwang Sun-hong’s U-24 national soccer team is aiming for a third consecutive podium finish at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (AG), which kicks off in September. But it’s not all rosy. Not only is Lee Kang-in, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG-France), undecided about joining the team, but there is no guarantee of a full roster for the tournament.온라인바카라

The error in the composition of the roster stems from the Korean Football Association’s (KFA) ‘fumbling’. It was the inclusion of Lee Sang-min (Seongnam FC) in the AG’s final roster after he was caught drinking and driving in May 2020 while playing for Chungnam Asan in the K League 2 and was fined (5 million won) and suspended for 15 games by the KFA.

It was a violation of the regulations. Article 17 of the KFA’s National Team Operating Regulations states, “Anyone who is sentenced to a fine of 5 million won or more for driving under the influence of alcohol, and three years have not passed since the sentence was finalized, shall not be eligible to represent the national team.” However, Lee Sang-min has been consistently selected for the age-group national team since September 2021, and even played in an exhibition match against China in June this year. As the controversy continued after the final 22-man roster was announced and sent to the Asian Olympic Committee, the KFA clarified that “(Coach Hwang) was aware of the fact that he had been drinking and made the decision after careful consideration.”

Furthermore, the controversy over the athlete’s drinking and driving began shortly after the final roster was announced, meaning that a replacement could have been found in time to meet the deadline. The KFA later admitted to “violating the rules” and promised to prevent a recurrence, but it was too late.

The Korean Sports Federation (KSF) is now cleaning up its act. In response to the KFA’s request, the OCA and the organizing committee were informed of the changes. Substitutions can be made up to six hours before the first group game, within the 50-man preliminary roster already submitted. However, the strict rule is that changes can only be made due to medical reasons, such as injuries.

Naturally, the situation is not good. It’s been over a month since the federation’s inquiry, and there’s still no news. By the 15th, no response had been received. “We’re just waiting. We don’t have any other options at this point.” Given local conditions, which are notoriously slow, the NOC expects to hear back just before the Games.

For Hwang, who is planning a final strengthening session at the end of this month and a final call-up in early September, it is more realistic to prepare for the tournament with a 21-man squad in mind rather than blindly waiting for an unexpected outcome. At the same time, the KFA needs to clean up its act. We need to get to the bottom of what happened, whether it was due to ignorance of the rules, or whether someone knew about it and wanted the public to not know. We need to clear up questions about ignorance and irresponsibility, while also holding people accountable. This is too big a mistake to be swept under the rug.