Mar 11, 2020

Postponed football season unlikely to begin in March

In normal circumstances, the men's professional football season in South Korea should be under way by now. But with the novel coronavirus wreaking havoc throughout the country, these are far from normal times. And the 2020 K League season, which was supposed to have started Feb. 29 but has been postponed indefinitely, may not even kick off in March. A league official said Wednesday it has become "unlikely" that the season will start this month. The K League is preparing for further

Mar 9, 2020

S. Korea's Olympic football qualifying matches rescheduled for April

Postponed Olympic women's football qualifying matches between South Korea and China have been rescheduled for June in light of the coronavirus outbreaks in both countries. The Korea Football Association said Monday it was informed by the Asian Football Confederation that the home-and-home playoff series between the nations will be played on June 4 and 9. Venues will be determined later. The winning team, based on the aggregate score after the two matches, will qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympi

Mar 6, 2020

Premier League drop pre-match handshake over coronavirus concern

LONDON (AFP) -- Premier League players and officials will not take part in the traditional pre-match handshake from this weekend over fears about the spread of the coronavirus. Teams have been told by Premier League chiefs that they will still line up as usual before kick-of, but the home team will walk past the away side without shaking hands. The measure is in respond to the threat of the potentially deadly virus, with more than 90,000 cases reported in 87 countries. "The Premier Leag

Mar 3, 2020

Asian football body on verge of postponing World Cup qualifiers due to coronavirus

The Asian football governing body has inched closer to postponing World Cup qualifying matches following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Tuesday it has had preliminary discussions with some East Zone member associations regarding fixtures for the 2022 FIFA World Cup regional qualifiers. The East Zone nations include South Korea, China, Japan and Australia. The AFC added that it will meet with West Zone nations -- those in Central Asia and th

Feb 24, 2020

Pro football league to discuss postponing season amid coronavirus scare

Faced with the fast-spreading coronavirus, the South Korean professional football league will convene an emergency board meeting later Monday to discuss postponing the start of the new season. The K League announced the meeting will begin at 2 p.m. at its Seoul headquarters. The 2020 season is scheduled to open Saturday with two matches, followed by two more on Sunday. But that could change, as the K League joins several other sports organizations in South Korea grappling with the deadly COVID

Feb 21, 2020

Ex-S. Korea captain Ki Sung-yueng leaves for Spain to finalize talks with top-division club

INCHEON -- Former South Korean men's football captain Ki Sung-yueng departed for Spain on Friday to finalize talks with a top-flight club there, looking to continue his pro career in Europe after negotiations with domestic teams fell through. The 31-year-old midfielder left Newcastle United on Jan. 31 by what the Premier League club called "mutual consent." His last Premier League appearance came in September 2019. Afterward, Ki sought a return to the K League 1, where he began his

Feb 21, 2020

Pro football matches in southeastern region postponed due to coronavirus

Upcoming professional football matches in South Korea's southeastern region have been postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus. The K League announced Friday that the Feb. 29 home opener for Daegu FC in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and the March 1 home match for Pohang Steelers in Pohang, about 80 kilometers east of Daegu, have been pushed back. They will be played either later in March or in June.   The decision was reached at a meeting of league executives and

Feb 20, 2020

Son Heung-min to undergo surgery on broken forearm on Friday: source

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min will undergo operation on his broken right forearm in Seoul on Friday. A source close to the player told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday that Son was admitted to a Seoul hospital earlier in the day, and the surgery has been scheduled for Friday. Son suffered the fracture to the radius in the forearm during a Premier League match against Aston Villa last weekend. Son apparently suffered the injury when he landed hard on the right arm follow

Feb 20, 2020

Mourinho sees no bright side for Spurs without Son and Kane

LONDON (AFP) -- Jose Mourinho fears his side's season is running out of gas after an injury-hit Spurs slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. Spurs could be without the talismanic duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min for the rest of the season through injury and looked toothless against the Bundesliga contenders.  "We are in a very difficult situation," said Mourinho. "What worries me is this is going to be the

Feb 19, 2020

Spurs left hanging by Son's injury: Mourinho

LONDON (AFP) -- Jose Mourinho has compared Tottenham's hopes of having a positive end to the season to hanging from the balcony of a fourth-floor building after losing Son Heung-min to injury. Already without Harry Kane for much of the remainder of the campaign, Mourinho said he does not expect Son to feature again this season after the South Korean fractured his right arm in Sunday's 3-2 win at Aston Villa. Spurs host German side RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last 16

Feb 17, 2020

Son strikes late to edge Spurs past Villa in five-goal thriller

BIRMINGHAM (AFP) -- Son Heung-min struck deep into stoppage time as Tottenham's chances of Champions League football next season were boosted by a 3-2 win at Aston Villa on Sunday. A third consecutive Premier League victory lifts Spurs up to fifth -- which could be enough to secure Champions League qualification with Manchester City facing a two-season ban from the competition -- and within one point of fourth-placed Chelsea. Jose Mourinho's men were worthy of their victory after bouncing bac

Feb 6, 2020

New kits for nat'l football teams unveiled

New uniforms for the South Korean national football teams were released on Thursday, featuring designs inspired by the global popularity of the country's pop culture and by a mythological guardian animal. Nike unveiled the new home and away kits for South Korea, with hallyu, or the Korean wave, the phenomenon of Korean culture's popularity, at the forefront. The home kit is highlighted by a wavy pattern made up of the trigrams from the South Korean national flag, Taegeukgi. The trigrams are a

Feb 6, 2020

Son Heung-min stays hot, scores in 4th straight

Son Heung-min has done it again. The in-form South Korean star for Tottenham Hotspur scored in his fourth straight match, converting a late penalty to take his club over Southampton 3-2 in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday (local time) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. With his monthslong drought a distant memory, Son now has 14 goals in 31 matches this season in all competitions. Tottenham took the first-half lead on Jack Stephens' own goal, but Shane Long and Danny Ings sco

Feb 3, 2020

Tottenham weather Man City storm to snatch win

LONDON (AFP) -- Steven Bergwijn's debut goal helped Tottenham to a remarkable 2-0 win over 10-man Manchester City on Sunday to breathe new life into their challenge for a top-four finish in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho's men had been completely outplayed for the first hour, but were kept in the game by City's profligacy and Hugo Lloris's first-half penalty save from Ilkay Gundogan. However, Oleksandr Zinchenko's sending off changed the course of the game as Spurs scored with their first