On the 7th of last month, when Korean football succeeded in advancing to the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in 12 years at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it was hot in a festive mood. The national team was embroiled in controversy with a social network service (SNS) post posted by a representative of the national team. Ahn Deok-soo, who accompanied national team captain Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham) as a personal trainer, said, “A lot happened in room 2701 (the national team’s accommodation).” revealed that there was a problem with the Korea Football Association’s team management.
While he did not disclose specific circumstances, the association at the time did not reveal any position in this regard. The association announced its position after a month.
The association posted a statement on its website on the 10th regarding Trainer Ahn’s raising of the issue and acknowledged that the conflict between the team and the association during the tournament was serious. Regarding the belated statement, the association said, “It could have caused misunderstanding by hastily mentioning it in an auspicious atmosphere encouraging the team’s hard work.”
According to the association’s explanation, some players in the national team requested that An Trainer be allowed to join the association’s medical staff twice, in November 2021 and in June last year. The association conveyed its intention to hire through formal procedures, but Trainer Ahn did not apply. The association said, “According to the relevant laws and regulations effective from February 2021, only those with specific qualifications can be hired. Ahn Trainor confirmed that some of these were not present.”
Trainer Ahn went to Qatar with two of his teammates in the capacity of ‘external trainer’, and the association allowed players to receive treatment according to their choice.
However, two days before the first match against Uruguay, several players demanded that the medical team leader of the association be excluded from work and return home. This is because the medical team leader is a key figure who opposes Trainer Ahn’s joining. Some players also continued to request that trainer Ahn be included as an official staff member, citing the ‘non-licensed’ trainer in the national team. The association said, “No matter how much the players wanted, we couldn’t hire unqualified people who did not apply for the recruitment announcement.” In addition, regarding the ‘unqualified’ trainer, he explained, “In 2020, at the time of the two-year contract, there was no procedural problem because the relevant laws requiring certification were not enforced.” 메이저사이트
There was also a case where the trainer did not accept the diagnosis made by the association’s medical staff after a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination at an officially designated hospital by the International Football Federation (FIFA). The association pointed out, “We are well aware that Ahn Deok-soo, who was trusted by the players, worked hard.”
The association announced its intention to revise the relevant regulations on the cooperative relationship between official medical staff and personal trainers by March, when the national team convenes for the first time in the new year.