The clock of the Korean national under-20 (U-20) soccer team runs fast. In an urgent situation where it is impossible to look at the suddenly changed venue, adaptation to the environment has emerged as a top priority.
The U-20 national team, led by coach Kim Eun-joong, has revised plans for the U-20 World Cup to be held in Argentina in May. From now on, we decided to accelerate preparations for the tournament, which has come under the World Cup system.
The venue of the U-20 World Cup has changed from Indonesia to Argentina. Indonesia, which had been preparing for the tournament smoothly until last month, lost its qualification as the host country after political and religious controversies. The background was that Israel, which had a bad relationship with Indonesia, succeeded in advancing to the finals.
Indonesia, an Islamic country, has strong antipathy toward Israel, which oppresses Palestine, its brother country, and is not even establishing diplomatic relations with it. As a result, anti-Israel public opinion was formed around the political world, and it led to a boycott of the U-20 World Cup.
In addition, as some Islamic groups predicted the kidnapping of Israeli athletes, concerns about safety spread. The International Football Federation (FIFA), which strongly prohibits political, religious, and racial discrimination, stripped Indonesia of its right to host the event after terrorist threats continued. With about two months left until the opening of the tournament, FIFA, which was looking for an alternative, confirmed hosting the tournament in Argentina last week and hastily held a draw.
All participating countries were on fire. South Korea is headed in the exact opposite direction. I’m worried about jet lag right now. Head coach Kim Eun-joong, who met with reporters at the Paju National Football Team Training Center (NFC) on the 24th, also said, “The biggest problem is the time difference. Indonesia is where we won the gold medal in the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in 2018, and I was confident because I was familiar with the environment, but the situation has changed.” He expressed his concern.메이저놀이터
It is also a pity that we are not able to visit the site. Director Kim Eun-joong planned to go to Argentina after this call to check the infrastructure. However, due to local circumstances, it was impossible to conduct an investigation. It is also difficult to dispatch a person concerned or confirm the local coordinator.
An official from the Korea Football Association said, “The selection of the venue, the group draw, and the venue for our matches were confirmed only a few days in advance.” is not in a position to respond,” he explained.
In the end, coach Kim Eun-joong decided that the main team of the team would move to Argentina early and train for local adaptation. To this end, in the training from the 24th to the 26th, players who have cooperated with the club or players who are first selected are gathered and used as the last stone. The two practice games are also intended to confirm the sense of practice.
After that, on May 1, players close to the finals will be reconvened and the final training will be held in Korea. Kim Eun-joong, who will announce the final World Cup roster right after, is scheduled to leave for Argentina on the 7th. An official from the Korea Football Association said, “We decided to enter the country a week earlier than the original plan.”