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Has this been posted before? Looks like Ki is in trouble in South Korea.
Spoiler: click to toggle
SEOUL, South Korea - English Premier League star Ki Sung-yeung has just discovered what happens when a confident young footballer, social media and a Confucian-influenced culture collide.
Ki, one of Asia's most famous sportsmen, has had a long, nervous wait to see whether his interactions on Facebook would cost him a place with the South Korean national team.
The 2009 Young Asian Footballer of the Year is only 24 but has played more than 50 times for South Korea, won the Scottish title with Celtic, the English League Cup with current club Swansea and recently married one of South Korea's leading television personalities. Yet the cultured midfielder has never been so unpopular.
On July 4, a columnist with one of South Korea's big portals Nate.com revealed postings from Ki's private Facebook account. The comments were made in February 2012 after South Korea defeated Kuwait 2-0 in a vital 2014 World Cup qualifier that also marked the first game in charge for coach Choi Kang-hee.
Ki entered the game in the second half with the score at 0-0.
"I was so shocked and let down because I didn't get to play for the first half," Ki wrote, "but I bet everyone now knows that the team needs players from overseas. He (Choi) shouldn't have touched us, and I hope he doesn't show his proud face again. Watch out."
Before that match, Ki had sarcastically thanked Choi for selecting him "even though I play for a mere second-tier league in Europe," in response to the coach's comments that Celtic apart, the Scottish league was no better than Korea's third division. Choi, 54, stepped down last month after South Korea successfully qualified for the 2014 World Cup despite a relatively disappointing campaign in Asia.
The comments may have been 18 months old but quickly created a media storm which, despite Choi's lacklustre record in charge, was largely critical of Ki. The Taeguk Warriors are famed for their team spirit and team work but faith in the players had been already knocked by comments from Choi on July 3 which referred to divisions between overseas and domestic-based players.
It is an unusual situation, as sports psychologist Son Woe-tae explained.
"In South Korea, young players are not free to express their opinions when it is considered to be against an older person," Son, who has worked with some of the country's top players, told The Associated Press. "It is prohibited. A coach has absolute power. Ki studied overseas as a youngster and plays overseas and expresses his emotions very freely compared with most Korean players.
"There is a definite generation gap between people like Choi Kang-hee and Ki Sung-yeung. A new generation of coaches is coming through and they are younger. They perhaps are a little different and it is they who must solve these kinds of problems in the future."
Ki spent some of his childhood in Australia, signed for Scottish giants Celtic in December 2009 and then moved to the English Premier League in 2012. He has not shied away from controversy. In January 2011, he landed in hot water after a goal celebration against Japan was described as racist. Earlier this year, ambiguous comments he left on Twitter about the value of good leadership were seen by many as criticisms of Choi, a charge that the player denies.
After this latest controversy, Ki's management company quickly claimed that the Facebook account was fake and, according to the columnist who originally revealed the comments, threatened legal action. But Ki, now back in pre-season training with Swansea, issued a public apology.
"I had no intention of making this Facebook page public," said Ki, who has now deleted his social media accounts. "I used the page with my friends until a year ago. Because those comments should not have been made by a member of the national team, I deeply apologize. I will do my best to dispel all the worries I have caused to the fans and fellow footballers and officials by concentrating on football."
There were suggestions that he may not get the chance to do so for a while, with some critics speculating he deserved a a year-long ban from the national team. On Wednesday, however, KFA vice-president Huh Jung-moo told reporters that the situation was unprecedented and that Ki would receive a severe warning but no disciplinary action. The association is to investigate how to implement rules to deal with similar situations in future.
Leeds manager dishes out beer money to travelling fans after cheeky chants By Eurosport | World of Sport – 7 hours ago Email Share19Tweet
Brian McDermott hands out money to Leeds fans (Yorkshire Evening Post) Leeds United got their pre-season tour of Slovenia off to a good start with a 3-0 win against a Select XI squad that was made even better when manager Brian McDermott gave the club's traveling supporters some beer money. According to the Yorshire Evening Post's Phil Hay, the fans chanted "Oh Brian, it's your round" at full time and McDermott, who replaced Neil Warnock in April of this year, reached in his pocket and passed 50 euros (about £43) to them through the fence — a moment captured by photographer Jonathan Gawthorpe. When asked about the gesture, McDermott explained that it was the least he could do.
The money was soon put to good use...
It's the best 50 euros McDermott has ever spent: he's instantly turned his status among fans from "wary and undecided" to "living legend". If only Rafa Benitez had done this when he got to Chelsea, he could've saved himself a lot of trouble. Though it would have cost him a lot more than £43: that much cash pays for beers for half the night in a Slovenian pub where a pint is £1.50. Down the Kings Road you'd be lucky to get a single round in for the same money.
Cavani's signed for PSG. £55 million apparently. Given that Ibrahimovic is pretty much undroppable (by virtue of his ego and his performances last season) and the fact that they tend to line up with one striker, that seems like an absurd amount of money. Theoretically, Cavani could play deeper or out wide, but neither is his best position and it doesn't make sense to spend so much on him, only to play him in a position where he's relatively ineffective. Both could play up front, but neither are as well suited to playing with a strike partner and most top-level teams no longer play 4-4-2 for a reason.
That's without mentioning the likes of Lavezzi, Moura, Nene, Pastore, Menez. PSG really don't seem to have any plan beyond signing big-name players.
Cavani's signed for PSG. £55 million apparently. Given that Ibrahimovic is pretty much undroppable (by virtue of his ego and his performances last season) and the fact that they tend to line up with one striker, that seems like an absurd amount of money. Theoretically, Cavani could play deeper or out wide, but neither is his best position and it doesn't make sense to spend so much on him, only to play him in a position where he's relatively ineffective. Both could play up front, but neither are as well suited to playing with a strike partner and most top-level teams no longer play 4-4-2 for a reason.
That's without mentioning the likes of Lavezzi, Moura, Nene, Pastore, Menez. PSG really don't seem to have any plan beyond signing big-name players.
Cavani's signed for PSG. £55 million apparently. Given that Ibrahimovic is pretty much undroppable (by virtue of his ego and his performances last season) and the fact that they tend to line up with one striker, that seems like an absurd amount of money. Theoretically, Cavani could play deeper or out wide, but neither is his best position and it doesn't make sense to spend so much on him, only to play him in a position where he's relatively ineffective. Both could play up front, but neither are as well suited to playing with a strike partner and most top-level teams no longer play 4-4-2 for a reason.
That's without mentioning the likes of Lavezzi, Moura, Nene, Pastore, Menez. PSG really don't seem to have any plan beyond signing big-name players.
Cavani's signed for PSG. £55 million apparently. Given that Ibrahimovic is pretty much undroppable (by virtue of his ego and his performances last season) and the fact that they tend to line up with one striker, that seems like an absurd amount of money. Theoretically, Cavani could play deeper or out wide, but neither is his best position and it doesn't make sense to spend so much on him, only to play him in a position where he's relatively ineffective. Both could play up front, but neither are as well suited to playing with a strike partner and most top-level teams no longer play 4-4-2 for a reason.
That's without mentioning the likes of Lavezzi, Moura, Nene, Pastore, Menez. PSG really don't seem to have any plan beyond signing big-name players.
Has this been posted before? Looks like Ki is in trouble in South Korea.
Spoiler: click to toggle
SEOUL, South Korea - English Premier League star Ki Sung-yeung has just discovered what happens when a confident young footballer, social media and a Confucian-influenced culture collide.
Ki, one of Asia's most famous sportsmen, has had a long, nervous wait to see whether his interactions on Facebook would cost him a place with the South Korean national team.
The 2009 Young Asian Footballer of the Year is only 24 but has played more than 50 times for South Korea, won the Scottish title with Celtic, the English League Cup with current club Swansea and recently married one of South Korea's leading television personalities. Yet the cultured midfielder has never been so unpopular.
On July 4, a columnist with one of South Korea's big portals Nate.com revealed postings from Ki's private Facebook account. The comments were made in February 2012 after South Korea defeated Kuwait 2-0 in a vital 2014 World Cup qualifier that also marked the first game in charge for coach Choi Kang-hee.
Ki entered the game in the second half with the score at 0-0.
"I was so shocked and let down because I didn't get to play for the first half," Ki wrote, "but I bet everyone now knows that the team needs players from overseas. He (Choi) shouldn't have touched us, and I hope he doesn't show his proud face again. Watch out."
Before that match, Ki had sarcastically thanked Choi for selecting him "even though I play for a mere second-tier league in Europe," in response to the coach's comments that Celtic apart, the Scottish league was no better than Korea's third division. Choi, 54, stepped down last month after South Korea successfully qualified for the 2014 World Cup despite a relatively disappointing campaign in Asia.
The comments may have been 18 months old but quickly created a media storm which, despite Choi's lacklustre record in charge, was largely critical of Ki. The Taeguk Warriors are famed for their team spirit and team work but faith in the players had been already knocked by comments from Choi on July 3 which referred to divisions between overseas and domestic-based players.
It is an unusual situation, as sports psychologist Son Woe-tae explained.
"In South Korea, young players are not free to express their opinions when it is considered to be against an older person," Son, who has worked with some of the country's top players, told The Associated Press. "It is prohibited. A coach has absolute power. Ki studied overseas as a youngster and plays overseas and expresses his emotions very freely compared with most Korean players.
"There is a definite generation gap between people like Choi Kang-hee and Ki Sung-yeung. A new generation of coaches is coming through and they are younger. They perhaps are a little different and it is they who must solve these kinds of problems in the future."
Ki spent some of his childhood in Australia, signed for Scottish giants Celtic in December 2009 and then moved to the English Premier League in 2012. He has not shied away from controversy. In January 2011, he landed in hot water after a goal celebration against Japan was described as racist. Earlier this year, ambiguous comments he left on Twitter about the value of good leadership were seen by many as criticisms of Choi, a charge that the player denies.
After this latest controversy, Ki's management company quickly claimed that the Facebook account was fake and, according to the columnist who originally revealed the comments, threatened legal action. But Ki, now back in pre-season training with Swansea, issued a public apology.
"I had no intention of making this Facebook page public," said Ki, who has now deleted his social media accounts. "I used the page with my friends until a year ago. Because those comments should not have been made by a member of the national team, I deeply apologize. I will do my best to dispel all the worries I have caused to the fans and fellow footballers and officials by concentrating on football."
There were suggestions that he may not get the chance to do so for a while, with some critics speculating he deserved a a year-long ban from the national team. On Wednesday, however, KFA vice-president Huh Jung-moo told reporters that the situation was unprecedented and that Ki would receive a severe warning but no disciplinary action. The association is to investigate how to implement rules to deal with similar situations in future.
At least he was pissed off about someone slagging the SPL.
No worries. Spent a good 5-10 minutes trying to work out where to post this (didn't quite think it merited its own thread.) Didn't want to clog up the transfer thread with non-tic news.