Veteran South Korean forward ruled out of World Cup
Tuesday - May 22, 2018 8:14 pm ,
Category : SPORTS
Veteran South Korean forward ruled out of World Cup
Seoul May 22 (IANS) Gangwon FC forward Lee Keun-ho has been ruled out of next month s FIFA World Cup with a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee the Korea Football Association (KFA) said on Tuesday.
Lee sustained the injury during a K League 1 game against Gyeongnam FC last Saturday reports Yonhap news agency.
Though Lee was stretchered off the field his K League 1 club initially said the injury wasn t serious and he d be able to compete in the World Cup. But further tests revealed more severe damage and Lee has joined a few others on the national team injury shelf.
It s the latest injury blow to SOuth Korea s head coach Shin Tae-yong who was already without Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defender Kim Min-jae who would have been a first-choice center back if not for a stress fracture in his right leg and Suwon Samsung Bluewings midfielder Yeom Ki-hun a crafty playmaker who went down with a broken rib. Kim and Yeom weren t picked for the 28-man provisional roster announced on May 14.
Over the past weekend Dijon FCO midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon who made Shin s 28-man team suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his club s season finale. He will miss the World Cup and will not be replaced.
Shin also said he will not replace Lee and will go ahead with 26 players.
"Lee Keun-ho had been preparing for this World Cup thinking it d be his last " Shin said.
"It s quite disappointing. I was hoping he would be a great leader as the team s oldest player (at 33)."
--IANS ajb/vm
Lee sustained the injury during a K League 1 game against Gyeongnam FC last Saturday reports Yonhap news agency.
Though Lee was stretchered off the field his K League 1 club initially said the injury wasn t serious and he d be able to compete in the World Cup. But further tests revealed more severe damage and Lee has joined a few others on the national team injury shelf.
It s the latest injury blow to SOuth Korea s head coach Shin Tae-yong who was already without Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defender Kim Min-jae who would have been a first-choice center back if not for a stress fracture in his right leg and Suwon Samsung Bluewings midfielder Yeom Ki-hun a crafty playmaker who went down with a broken rib. Kim and Yeom weren t picked for the 28-man provisional roster announced on May 14.
Over the past weekend Dijon FCO midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon who made Shin s 28-man team suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his club s season finale. He will miss the World Cup and will not be replaced.
Shin also said he will not replace Lee and will go ahead with 26 players.
"Lee Keun-ho had been preparing for this World Cup thinking it d be his last " Shin said.
"It s quite disappointing. I was hoping he would be a great leader as the team s oldest player (at 33)."
--IANS ajb/vm
