Lee Kang-in apologizes for scuffle that left Son Heung-min injured

Football

Published: 14 Feb. 2024, 18:11 Updated: 15 Feb. 2024, 14:23

Lee Kang-in apologizes for scuffle that left Son Heung-min injured

Lee Kang-in reacts during the Asian Cup semifinal between Korea and Jordan in Qatar on Feb. 6. [NEWS1]

Lee Kang-in apologized Wednesday for his part in an altercation at the Asian Cup last week that left national team captain Son Heung-min with an injured finger ahead of Korea’s semifinal exit against Jordan.

"It was reported that I had an altercation with Son ahead of the Asian Cup semifinal," Lee wrote. "I have caused great disappointment to all those football fans who support the national team. I am so sorry. I should have listened to the older players and I apologize for not showing a good attitude.

"I apologize to the many people who are disappointed in me. I am well aware of how invested fans are in me as a player. From now on, I will try to support the senior players and become a better player and person."

An Instagram story posted on Lee Kang-in's official Instagram account Wednesday apologizes for his part in an altercation with Son Heung-min. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Son injured his finger in a tussle with Lee after a disagreement during dinner, according to local reports.

The JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, said Wednesday that Tottenham Hotspur captain Son grabbed Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee by the collar after a disagreement during team dinner, with Lee reportedly then taking a swing at Son.

It was while other players were breaking the pair up that Son’s finger was dislocated.

The JoongAng Ilbo report follows an earlier confirmation from the KFA that Son’s finger was injured during an altercation with a teammate the night before Korea’s semifinal loss to Jordan. The story was originally broken by Britain’s The Sun a day earlier.

Son Heung-min, left, runs past Lee Kang-in while warming up ahead of the Asian Cup semifinal against Jordan in Qatar on Feb. 6. [NEWS1]

According to The Sun, Son dislocated his finger in a “bust-up” after a row erupted at dinner the night before the game.

The incident reportedly happened after some younger members of the team — according to the JoongAng Ilbo, Lee Kang-in, Seol Young-woo and Jeong Woo-yeong — rushed their dinner to go and play table tennis.

The JoongAng Ilbo report — which did not cite the source for the additional information — says that the three then started to loudly play table tennis, eschewing the traditional pre-match team dinner.

Son eventually confronted the younger players and the tussle followed. Yonhap News Agency also reported that some senior players of the squad, possibly including Son, then asked head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who had been at the meal, to exclude Lee from the Jordan starting lineup. That clearly did not happen, as Lee did start the following day.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]