SEOUL
\nLee Kang-in was named in South Korea\u2019s squad on Monday for World Cup qualifiers this month despite a bust-up with skipper Son Heung-min at the Asian Cup.
\nTottenham star Son was left with a dislocated finger after clashing with Paris Saint-Germain attacker Lee before South Korea\u2019s semi-final loss to Jordan last month.
\nLee subsequently apologised after Yonhap news agency said the 23-year-old had tried to punch Son. Lee\u2019s representatives have denied there was a punch.
\nSon later posted a picture on social media of the pair smiling and arm in arm, alongside a message urging South Korean fans to forgive Lee.
\nSouth Korea\u2019s new interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, who took over last month when Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked following the Asian Cup exit, said he had spoken to both players before picking his squad.
\n\u201cLee Kang-in wanted an opportunity to apologise to fans and his team-mates from the bottom of his heart, and Son Heung-min said we should all embrace Kang-in and move forward,\u201d Yonhap quoted Hwang as saying. \u201cI don\u2019t think this is a problem only between the two of them,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cEveryone who was there, from players to coaches to members of the support staff, has to take responsibility.
\n\u201cIn the next two matches against Thailand we should all be prepared to atone for our mistakes in front of our fans.\u201d The conflict was reportedly triggered by younger players \u2014 including Lee \u2014 rushing through their dinner so they could leave early and play table tennis.
\nThis angered some of the older players, including Son, who wanted to honour long-standing tradition that the pre-game dinner be a team-bonding experience, triggering the brawl. Lee and Son both played in the 2-0 loss to Jordan, the latter with two of his fingers strapped together.
\nBoth are now set to feature against Thailand home and away in World Cup qualifiers on March 21 and 26.
\n\u201cBased on my experience as a national team player, I think issues like this can end up making the team even tighter the faster you address them,\u201d said Hwang.
\nThe Korea Football Association hopes to have a new full-time coach in place before qualifiers against Singapore and China in June.
\nUntil then, Hwang will combine his duties as Under-23 coach and will take South Korea to the U23 Asian Cup in Qatar in April, where places at the Paris Olympics are up for grabs.
\nUnder Klinsmann, South Korea began World Cup qualifying with wins over Singapore and China.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEOUL Lee Kang-in was named in South Korea\u2019s squad on Monday for World Cup qualifiers this month despite a bust-up with skipper Son Heung-min at the Asian Cup. Tottenham star Son was left with a dislocated finger after clashing with Paris Saint-Germain attacker Lee before South Korea\u2019s semi-final loss to Jordan last month. Lee subsequently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-393109","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n