"Are You Still Claiming That?" Son Heung-min's SNS Devastated by Malicious Comments

"Declare Your Position" Flood of Comments on Son Heung-min's SNS
UK Media Reports Controversy Over Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min Scuffle

South Korea national football team player Lee Kang-in is reportedly involved in a physical altercation with Son Heung-min the day before the Asian Cup semifinal, and fans presumed to be Lee Kang-in's supporters are leaving malicious comments on Son Heung-min's SNS demanding an explanation. In response, Son Heung-min's fans are retaliating, asking "Why blame Son Heung-min?" leading to a heated dispute.

On the 18th, Son Heung-min's SNS was flooded with malicious comments from presumed Lee Kang-in fans demanding a direct explanation and accountability regarding the 'team internal conflict incident.'

On the 4th of this month (local time), Son Heung-min is moving to prepare for training at the Al Egla training ground in Doha, Qatar.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

They commented on a promotional video for the fashion brand TUMI, for which Son Heung-min is a global ambassador, posted on Instagram on the 15th, saying, "Player Son Heung-min, please explain. If you don't intend to completely ruin Lee Kang-in, state your position," and "The young player Lee Kang-in, only 22 years old, is bearing all the blame alone."

One netizen argued, "It is inappropriate for the captain to post an advertisement in such a situation," and claimed responsibility, saying, "As team captain, Son Heung-min should have paid more attention to managing the conflict, since he also grabbed Lee Kang-in by the collar."

Furthermore, harsh criticisms such as "Are you still the captain after this?" and "I don't even want to watch Tottenham games anymore" have also emerged.

In response, Son Heung-min's fans have also left comments like, "Why should Son Heung-min clean up when someone else is at fault?" and "Do you want to treat Son Heung-min this way after he has already been hurt so much?" escalating the heated exchanges in his Instagram comment section.

The British media outlet The Sun reported on the 5th (local time) that Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min had a physical fight the day before the Asian Cup semifinal against Jordan.

According to Yonhap News and others, on the day before the semifinal, younger players including Lee Kang-in, Seol Young-woo, and Jung Woo-young left the dinner table early and noisily played table tennis, which Son Heung-min tried to stop. Feeling displeased, Lee Kang-in resisted Son Heung-min, leading to a dispute.

Son Heung-min reportedly grabbed Lee Kang-in by the nape of the neck, and an enraged Lee Kang-in allegedly threw a punch at Son Heung-min. Lee Kang-in's legal representative issued a statement on the 15th denying the claim that Lee Kang-in punched Son Heung-min in the face after Son grabbed his neck, calling it untrue.

Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in posted an apology on Instagram, saying, "I should have taken the lead and followed the seniors better, but I am only sorry for showing an unpleasant image to football fans," but Son Heung-min has yet to make any significant statement regarding the incident.