“It’s frustrating,” Hwang repeated six times during our six-minute interview. The coach expressed his frustration over the lack of a timetable for Lee Kang-in’s arrival.
The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games team, led by Hwang, held its final training session at the Paju National Football Center (NFC) on Thursday before departing for Hangzhou. The team will depart for Hangzhou on the 16th via Incheon International Airport.
It will be their third consecutive gold medal. The South Korean won gold at both the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Hwang will open the tournament against Kuwait on Sept. 19, followed by three group games against Thailand on Sept. 21 and Bahrain on Sept. 24.
However, Hwang is struggling with the timing of Lee’s arrival. Hwang said, “It’s frustrating. I am personally communicating with Lee Kang-in. He wants to join as soon as possible. However, the timing is not coordinated with PSG. The federation is in close communication with PSG. I hope the timing will be decided soon so I can give my all to the team.”
Lee left Mallorca this summer to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Lee is a strong contender to play at the Hangzhou Asian Games, as well as the upcoming 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar in January. For PSG, this is the second time they’ve had to let go of a player in one season.
Although the KFA and PSG are in close communication, they are still negotiating over the timing of the transfer. An official from the KFA said, “PSG will contact us by the 13th. “They mentioned the Asian Cup, but they didn’t say when they would send him because of his physical condition. There will be an internal discussion after the representative travels to Korea from England. He was contacted before his departure from Newcastle,” the source added. However, the official said he did not know whether the communication was by phone or email.
Hwang can’t help but sigh. “They haven’t officially said when they’re going to bring him on board yet. I’m frustrated about that. We decided to contact him on the 13th to see if he has fully recovered from his injury, but so far there is no official answer.”
First of all, Lee Kang-in, who has recently recovered from his injury, will not play in the 2023-24 Ligue 1 match on May 16. Coach Hwang Sun-hong said, “I heard that Lee Kang-in will not participate in the game on the 16th. He seems to have recovered from his injury to a certain extent, but I think it’s a matter of physical condition.”
If he has already decided not to play on the 16th, he can be released immediately. However, PSG have not yet said when he will join them. PSG hosts Dortmund in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group F first leg on October 20.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Lee could play and join the team by then. PSG have been drawn in a so-called ‘group of death’ with Dortmund, AC Milan, and Newcastle United. They must aim to win every game, and any slip-ups could see them crash out of the group.
If Lee departs after the Dortmund game, he will likely arrive in Hangzhou at least on the 21st or 22nd. South Korea will face Kuwait on the 19th and Thailand on the 21st, which means Lee won’t be able to play until the second round of the group stage. Furthermore, jet lag and conditioning issues could keep him out of the third group game against Bahrain on the 24th.
Hwang is hoping for a quick return. “I want him to come in before one or two group games, but I don’t think that’s possible. I think PSG are putting a lot of conditions on it. They’re putting conditions on things like the Asian Cup qualifiers in January, so I hope we can come to an agreement on that and I can join as soon as possible.”토토사이트
The team also needs to prepare for the possibility of Lee Kang-in starting to play in the tournament. “It would be nice to see him play one or two games in the qualifiers and then go to the round of 16, but if he joins the team after that, there could be a lot of different situations. I need to be part of the team to be able to make plans. I’m frustrated about that,” he said.
Finally, when asked about the deadline for joining, Hwang said, “I’m also frustrated. I hope a decision will be made soon.” “I’m not thinking about (the possibility of not joining). It’s a different matter to be in the final. I’m not thinking about that,” he sighed.