Players at center of friction controversy called up for men's football friendlies
CHEONAN, South Korea, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- All principal figures caught in the controversy surrounding apparent friction on the men's national football team were selected for the upcoming friendly matches Thursday.
Robert Moreno, temporary head coach for the Taegeuk Warriors, named his 26-man squad for matches against Saudi Arabia on Nov. 13 and Qatar on Nov. 17 -- both set to take place in Doha.
Robert Moreno, temporary head coach for the South Korean men's national football team, speaks at a press conference at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on Oct. 29, 2026. (Yonhap)
The list included defender Kim Min-jae, midfielder Hwang In-beom and winger Hwang Hee-chan. This trio reportedly told their teammates they wanted to retire from international play after South Korea's most recent match against Uzbekistan on Oct. 6, apparently out of frustration with the team's longtime captain Son Heung-min.
Son is also back on the team. During a press conference at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, some 80 kilometers south of Seoul, Moreno confirmed the 34-year-old Son will continue to serve as captain.
Moreno also said he has spoken with all the players and made his squad decisions based solely on their performances and what they can bring to the national team.
"Every player on this list was selected because they are ready to dedicate themselves to the national team and the country," Moreno said. "If I had any doubt about that with any player, then I would not have chosen that player. Ultimately, everyone wants the same goal. We want to assemble a competitive national team and be prepared to win as many matches possible."
The next two will be the fifth and sixth matches for Moreno, who was appointed in early September and is signed through Nov. 27. In the four earlier matches, South Korea defeated Ecuador 3-0 on Sept. 24 before losing to Uruguay 4-1 four days later. It was followed by a goalless draw against Venezuela on Oct. 2, and then South Korea beat Uzbekistan 2-0 on Oct. 6.
The Korea Football Association has said depending on South Korea's results in these six matches, it will consider retaining the Spanish tactician through the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup, scheduled to kick off in January.
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