Jan 15, 2020

S. Korea beats Uzbekistan to win group at Olympic football qualifying tournament

RANGSIT, Thailand -- South Korea defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 to take the top seed in their group at the Olympic men‘s football qualifying tournament on Wednesday.Forward Oh Se-hun celebrated his 21st birthday with a two-goal performance, helping South Korea to their third straight victory in Group C at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand.The AFC tournament doubles as the Asian qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the

Jan 11, 2020

Son Heung-min's wonder strike voted top goal for Dec. in Premier League

Son Heung-min's mesmerizing solo strike for Tottenham Hotspur against Burnley has been voted the best goal for December in the Premier League.The English league announced Friday (local time) that Son earned his second career Goal of the Month award for his dazzling effort. His goal was chosen by a panel of experts, combined with a public vote.On Dec. 7 against Burnley at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Son secured the ball at the edge of his own penalty box to begin his dash. Son zipped pas

Jan 5, 2020

Reigning S. Korean football MVP rejoins league champions

Midfielder Kim Bo-kyung, the 2019 South Korean pro football MVP, couldn't beat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for the league title last year. So he's joining them this year.Fresh off their third consecutive K League 1 championship, Jeonbuk announced on Sunday they're bringing back the playmaking midfielder after two seasons away. Financial terms were not disclosed.Kim, 30, spent the 2019 season with Ulsan Hyundai FC, on a one-year loan from his original club in Japan, Kashiwa Reysol. The former Premier

Dec 30, 2019

S. Korea to be without Europe-based youngsters for Olympic football qualifiers

South Korea will not have the services of a pair of Europe-based players for the upcoming Olympic men's football qualifying tournament.The Korea Football Association announced Monday that Valencia CF midfielder Lee Kang-in and SV Darmstadt 98 midfielder Paik Seung-ho will not be available for the under-23 national team for the 2020 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship, which will run from Jan. 8-26 in Thailand. This event will also serve as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2020

Dec 27, 2019

Ex-South Korea coach Shin to take over struggling Indonesia

JAKARTA (AFP) -- Former South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong has been tapped to take over Indonesia's struggling national team, the country's football association said on Friday.Shin, who led South Korea at last year's World Cup in Russia -- where they famously ousted defending champions Germany -- is expected to be formally unveiled on Saturday."We have invited Shin to finalise the contract. After that he will be introduced later on Saturday," Mochamad Iriawan, chairman of the Football Ass

Dec 25, 2019

N. Korea to skip women's Olympic football qualifying tournament in S. Korea: source

North Korea will not compete in an Olympic women's football qualifying tournament scheduled for next February in South Korea, a source told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.According to the source, North Korea recently informed the Asian Football Confederation that they will not enter the third round of the Asian qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.That competition will run from Feb. 3-9, 2020, on the South Korean island of Jeju."North Korea didn't give reasons for their withdrawal, and t

Dec 25, 2019

Tottenham fail with appeal against Son red card

LONDON (AFP) -- Tottenham Hotspur have failed with their appeal against Son Heung-min's red card, the Football Association announced Tuesday.The South Korean winger saw red in the second half of Spurs' 2-0 loss at home to Chelsea in a spiteful London derby on Sunday after VAR confirmed he had kicked out at Blues defender Antonio Rudiger after being fouled. Tottenham launched an appeal but the FA upheld his red card, meaning Son will now serve a three-game ban ruling him out of the matches at hom

Dec 24, 2019

Rudiger racism row takes new twist amid reports of Son abuse

LONDON (AFP) -- The latest racism row engulfing English football took a fresh turn Monday amid reports Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min as well as Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger had been abused by spectators during Sunday's fractious London derby.Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League win at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium saw referee Anthony Taylor halt play during the second half when Rudiger complained of hearing monkey noises from spectators.Moments earlier, the Chelsea defender had been involved in a clash

Dec 20, 2019

Son Heung-min named top S. Korean player for record 4th time

South Korean men's national football captain Son Heung-min has been named the country's best player of the year for a record fourth time.The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on Thursday that Son, the attacking stalwart for Tottenham Hotspur, was voted the Male Player of the Year for 2019. Son was also honored in 2013, 2014 and 2017. The fourth award breaks a tie with three-time honoree Ki Sung-yueng, who earned the award in 2011, 2012 and 2016.Son topped the voting by the media and the

Dec 19, 2019

Son Heung-min named top S. Korean player for record 4th time

South Korean men‘s national football captain Son Heung-min has been named the country’s best player of the year for a record fourth time.The Korea Football Association announced on Thursday that Son, the attacking stalwart for Tottenham Hotspur, was voted the Male Player of the Year for 2019.Son was also honored in 2013, 2014 and 2017. The fourth award breaks a tie with three-time honoree Ki Sung-yueng, who earned the award in 2011, 2012 and 2016. Son topped the voting by the media a

Dec 19, 2019

Barcelona, Real draw as Clasico marred by violence

BARCELONA (AFP) -- Barcelona and Real Madrid could not be separated on Wednesday in a Clasico that was overshadowed by violent clashes between Catalan independence protestors and police outside Camp Nou.After being postponed in October, there were renewed fears of unrest around Spain's most famous fixture and while the match was only briefly interrupted by yellow beach balls thrown onto the pitch, outside the stadium, chaos ensued.Masked protesters had set bins on fire and thrown rocks and glass

Dec 17, 2019

S. Korea finish second to Japan at E. Asian women's football tournament

Hosts South Korea finished in second place at a women's East Asian football tournament on Tuesday following a 1-0 loss to Japan.Yuka Momiki converted an 88th-minute penalty, awarded after defender Shim Seo-yeon's handball violation in the box, and the Nadeshiko Japan held on to win the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship for the third time.The two sides fired blanks at one another for most of the tight, defensive affair at Busan Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southe

Dec 17, 2019

Son Heung-min named Tottenham's MVP for 2019 by football research group

Accolades keep flowing for Son Heung-min.The South Korean football star was named MVP of Tottenham Hotspur for the calendar year 2019 on Monday by the CIES Football Observatory, a research group within the Switzerland-based International Centre for Sports Studies. Founded in 2005, the CIES Football Observatory specializes in the statistical analysis of football. The research group named MVPs for each club in Europe's five major circuits: the Premier League in England, Bundesliga in Germany, La L

Dec 12, 2019

Son Heung-min named top S. Korean athlete in 3rd straight annual poll

Tottenham Hotspur's attacking ace Son Heung-min has topped the survey of South Korea's best athletes for the third straight year.Gallup Korea announced the findings of its annual survey on athletes Thursday. In a poll of 1,700 South Koreans over the age of 13 from Nov. 8 to 28, Son earned an overwhelming support of 82 percent. Respondents could select up to two athletes. It's the highest level of support since the poll began in 2007.Ryu Hyun-jin, a free agent pitcher who played for the Los Angel