Bae Joon-ho, who was included in the final qualifying round for the Olympics
“Bae Joon-ho, who was included in the final qualifying round for the Olympics, has been informed that his team Stoke City will not be able to call him in due to circumstances. The association has requested Choi Kang-min (Ulsan). Choi Kang-min will arrive in Doha on May 15,” the association said in a statement.
It is a bolt out of the blue for Korea. Bae is a core player of Hwang Sun-hong’s national team and one of the best overseas players in recent years. After making an outstanding move at the FIFA U-20 World Cup last year, he moved to Stoke City in the English second division. Since the first season after transferring to the Championship, he has been active as a starting member and ace for the team. He has scored two goals and four assists in 34 matches in the league, including 22 starts.
The U23 Asian Cup is not subject to mandatory recruitment by FIFA. Stoke City, currently ranked 20th in the Championship and is in the relegation zone, refused to recruit an ace, risking his life or death to the team. This means that Bae Joon-ho is recognized by the team, but it has been a negative factor for the national team.
For the same reason, Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic) and Kim Ji-soo (Brentford) also announced that they would not be able to recruit players from their teams. Hwang is in an emergency situation ahead of the competition.
The U23 Asian Cup is an important competition where a direct ticket to the Paris Olympics is up for grabs. Only top three teams can qualify for the Olympics. Korea in Group B will play UAE on Wednesday, China on Wednesday, and Japan on Wednesday.
The rival Japanese team is rejoicing at the news that Bae will not be able to be drafted. “Korea has faced difficulties in convening overseas players, and even Bae has been rejected from his team,” Kekisaka reported on Tuesday. “As a result, three out of four players from European leagues cannot participate in the Asian Cup. The only players from overseas leagues in Korea are Kim Min-woo (Dusseldorf) and Jeong Sang-bin (Minnesota), while the only players from European leagues are Kim Min-woo.”
BY: 스포츠토토핫