Sports Briefs

FOOTBALL

Pohang Steelers sign Australian midfielder

The Pohang Steelers announced Tuesday they’ve acquired Australian midfielder Oliver Bozanic.

The K League Classic club said Bozanic will join the squad after undergoing his physical on Jan. 3. The Steelers didn’t disclose details of his contract. Bozanic made his pro debut with Australian outfit Central Coast Mariners in 2006. The 28-year-old played with Japanese club Ventforet Kofu last year.

Bozanic has seven caps with the Australian national team and played in two matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Pohang said Bozanic is a versatile player who can execute both attacking and defensive roles in the midfield.

Bozanic is Pohang’s second foreign player signing this winter after Brazilian defender Rafael Berger, who is commonly known as Alemao. Pohang, five-time league champions, finished seventh in the 2017 season.

Korean footballers to receive World Cup bonus payment

Korean national football players who helped the national team qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup will get special bonuses for their achievement, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said Tuesday.

The KFA said it decided to give out a 2.5 billion won ($2.3 million) bonus to Korean men’s football team members who secured their presence at the 2018 World Cup in September.

The KFA, however, said the financial rewards will not be given to former national team head coach Uli Stielike. The 63-year-old German was sacked in June after Korea delivered an uninspiring performance in their first eight matches at the final Asian World Cup qualifying campaign.

Current head coach Shin Tae-yong took over the senior squad in July and led Korea to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after collecting two draws in the last qualifying matches.

“Stielike and his foreign assistant had an incentive clause in their contracts if Korea clinched a World Cup berth,” a KFA official said. “Korea had not secured their World Cup ticket when Stielike was sacked, so he does not qualify for a bonus payment.”

As a reward for the 2014 World Cup qualification, the national players were divided into four groups according to their contributions to the campaign, and the KFA paid the top-rated players 100 million won each, with the second group earning 80 million won. Players in the third group got 60 million won, while the rest received 40 million won. Yonhap

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball federation picks this year’s MVPs

Moon Sung-min of Cheonan Hyundai Capital and Ivana Nesovi of Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-pass were selected as the Korea Volleyball Federation’s (KOVO) men’s and women’s MVP on Tuesday.

By helping the Hyundai Capital to second in the first half of the season, Moon was given ten out of a total of 29 votes to win. During the third round, Moon scored 119 points, ranking sixth in the league.

Ivana won her second back-to-back MVP award, wining a total of 23 votes. During the third round, Ivana scored 113 points, ranking second.

By Kang Yoo-rim