Seoul: In South Korea's buildup to the men's football tournament at the Asian Games in central Japan this month, Grasshopper forward Lee Young-jun has been conspicuous by his absence. Lee, 23, was called up to the 23-man squad by head coach Lee Min-sung for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in July. But the player's Swiss club had not yet released the forward as of Monday, the eve of South Korea's first Group D match against Qatar at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in Nagoya. The 193-centimeter striker with a nose for the goal is expected to be a major offensive weapon for South Korea as they chase their fourth consecutive gold medal.
According to Yonhap News Agency, an official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) explained that Lee will likely not join the team until just before the second Group D match against Saudi Arabia on Sept. 22. The official mentioned that there had been some confusion between the KFA and Grasshopper regarding Lee's release, following a recent leadership change at the Swiss club.
Lee Min-sung himself described the situation as "having a bit of an issue" without divulging much but insisted that the rest of the team had been prepared for the possibility of Lee Young-jun's absence in the days before the Asian Games. "Obviously, it would be the best-case scenario if Young-jun can come to us as soon as possible," the coach said at his pretournament press conference in Nagoya. "However, if we are affected by the absence of just one player, then that means we cannot become a strong team."
In addition to Lee Young-jun, eight other players on the Asian Games squad ply their trade in Europe. "With national teams, it is always difficult to build chemistry quickly because players are coming in from all over the world," coach Lee said. "These issues will become even worse as more and more players sign with European clubs. We just have to adjust to these changing times. Here, we will use our group stage matches to get more organized as a team."