Chukhyup Refutes 'Qatar 2701 Disclosure' "Procedures Must Not Be Ignored"

"Some Players Demand Inclusion of Unqualified Andeoksoo"
"Core Details to Be Disclosed and Improvement Plans to Be Established"

The Korea Football Association (KFA) has released an official statement regarding the trainer controversy that arose immediately after the 2022 Qatar World Cup Round of 16.

On the 10th, the KFA posted a statement on its website concerning the issue raised by Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), the national team captain, and his personal rehabilitation trainer, An Deok-su.

The association explained, "We have refrained from making any official comments until now," adding, "We judged that it was inappropriate for the association to directly respond to an individual's emotions poured out on social media (SNS) without clear reasons or explanations."

The South Korean national football team and trainer Andeoksoo (center, wearing a white short-sleeve T-shirt).

They continued, "The issue began when An Deok-su, who came to Qatar as Son Heung-min's personal medical trainer and provided treatment to some national team players, expressed dissatisfaction with the Korea Football Association through his personal SNS," and added, "Since An Deok-su wrote on SNS that he was 'waiting for journalists' inquiries,' the association's policy was to actively clarify the matter if the person involved raised the issue directly through the media."

However, they explained, "Reports continued to emerge through 'close associates' or anonymous sources who were not the parties involved, mixing facts and falsehoods, causing confusion repeatedly," and stated, "If this issue were to be kept under wraps and handled internally within the association, there was concern that similar misunderstandings and media reports could resurface during the national team gathering scheduled for March. The association decided it was better to disclose the core details and prepare improvement measures," explaining the reason for releasing the statement.

The association also clarified, "When the recruitment notice for the medical trainer was announced in November 2021, it is true that some national team players requested An Deok-su to join the association's medical staff, but for some reason, he did not apply, and upon later verification, he did not possess the medical staff certification recognized by the association, so he could not be employed."

Trainer Andeoksoo's Instagram. It is currently deleted.

After organizing the facts surrounding Trainer An, the players, and the medical team, the association admitted, "There were some shortcomings," but also noted, "There were regrets on the players' side as well." In particular, it revealed that the head of the medical team, who was suspected of being in conflict with Trainer An due to some players' demands for his inclusion in the medical team, pressured the players to leave and return home.

The association criticized, "The attitude of disregarding legal procedures and insisting on demands was inappropriate," and pointed out, "Although it was a very small number, some made inappropriate remarks toward medical staff and employees, which was thoughtless."

Furthermore, they added, "If it was a matter that the core members of the national team, the players, had requested for a long time, the association should have listened more attentively and prepared reasonable alternatives to resolve the issue," and emphasized, "Now, the important thing is to set the right direction to improve the problem."

Meanwhile, on December 6 last year, Trainer An, Son Heung-min's dedicated trainer, posted on SNS after the Round of 16 match against Brazil in the Qatar World Cup, stating, "There were many things in Room 2701, and if reporters contact me, I can reveal unimaginable and extraordinary matters about why Room 2701 was created."

He continued, "However, Room 2701 has nothing to do with the Korea Football Association. It did not receive any help from the association," he exposed. However, the post has since been deleted.