Midfielder Bae Jun-ho is not oblivious to the persistent criticism that has plagued South Korean football this year, but he insisted Monday he will not let the situation affect his and his team's preparations for the Asian Games.
Bae and Korea will kick off their competition Tuesday evening against Qatar in Nagoya, central Japan. The young Taegeuk Warriors -- men's football at the Asian Games is only for players 23 or younger, with a maximum three over-age players allowed for each nation -- have won the past three gold medals, and the stated goal is to make it four in a row.
And yet, there is a prevailing sense of apathy toward football in Korea. The senior national team got knocked out of the group stage at the FIFA World Cup in the summer, a hugely disappointing performance that cost head coach Hong Myung-bo his job and even resulted in a parliamentary hearing on the state of the game. The U-23 team, coached by Lee Min-sung, has not fared all that well, either, with their fourth-place finish at the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup in January being one of several lowlights for them.
Bae, the 23-year-old midfielder for Stoke City, said he is developing tunnel vision for the task at hand.
"Regardless of the situation surrounding our sport, we just have to do the best we can under the circumstances," Bae said before a training session at Toyota City Sports Park in Toyota, some 25 kilometers east of the main host city of Nagoya. "This is such an important competition for us, and we are only concentrating on trying to win it and not thinking about anything else."
Bae voiced confidence in Korea's attacking chops, and Bae himself is expected to be a key part of that picture.
"We have a stout defense, but I also think our offense will be better than other teams." Bae said. "I want to help the team score some early goals so that we can make life easy for ourselves."
Bae admitted to feeling the pressure of having to deliver the gold for the country and also earn an exemption from the mandatory military service for himself.
Korean male athletes who win Asian Games gold medals are exempt from the service and only have to undergo a few weeks of training.
"Personally, this is a really important opportunity, and I am sure my teammates are feeling as much pressure as I am," Bae said. "We have all been talking about how we have to put the team ahead of individual performances. We all have to go the extra mile and make sure we play a winning brand of football." (Yonhap)
