"‘I’ll take this’ vs ‘Not throwing eggs’... Chaotic Football Association SNS"

Domestic Fans Protest at Chukhyup SNS
"Don't Ignore Our Team," Indonesian Fans Join In
Mocking: "Aren't You Throwing Eggs at Shin Tae-yong?"

The South Korea under-23 (U-23) national football team, led by coach Hwang Sun-hong, was eliminated from Olympic qualification for the first time in 40 years after losing to the Indonesia national football team in a penalty shootout. Netizens have expressed shock and anger on the Korea Football Association's (KFA) official social media channels. The situation has escalated further as Indonesian fans have also joined in.

On the 26th, the KFA's official Instagram post was flooded with angry comments from football fans. In just over two hours, more than 10,000 comments were posted, most criticizing the KFA. Sharp reactions included, "The future of Korean football looks bleak," "I never thought the day would come when we couldn't watch football at the Olympics," "I didn't stay up all night to watch this kind of game," and "Is it even reasonable to lose to a team ranked over 100 places lower in the FIFA rankings?"

Korea drew 2-2 with Indonesia and then lost 10-11 in the penalty shootout. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Some comments appeared to belittle the Indonesian team, prompting football fans presumed to be Indonesian locals to respond. Comments such as "Don't underestimate the Indonesia team," "Show respect," and "Are you taking out your frustration even though you lost?" were observed. As emotions ran high, some voices insulting the opposing country also emerged.

In the quarterfinal match of the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup held at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, the Korean team fought a close battle with Indonesia through extra time, ultimately ending in a 2-2 draw. Both teams then proceeded to a penalty shootout.

The penalty shootout ended 11-10 in favor of Indonesia. As a result, Korea was eliminated in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup quarterfinals, ending their hopes of qualifying for the Olympics. This marks the first time in 40 years that Korea has failed to qualify for the Olympics since the 1984 Los Angeles (LA) Games.

This match also served as the final Asian qualifying round for the men's football tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The top three teams from this tournament will qualify directly for the Paris finals, while the fourth-place team will compete in an intercontinental playoff to determine qualification.

Indonesia, having defeated Korea in the quarterfinals, will continue their challenge to qualify for the Paris Olympics. This victory also marks Indonesia's first-ever win against Korea in an international competition.

Eggs thrown at the national team that failed to advance to the round of 16 in the 2018 Russia World Cup.
[Image source=Online community archive]

The matchup between the two teams was also seen as a tactical battle between coach Hwang Sun-hong and Indonesia's coach Shin Tae-yong. Shin appears to be well-loved by Indonesian football fans. Some Indonesian fans commented on the KFA Instagram, saying things like, "Are you not going to throw eggs this time?" and "Didn't you throw eggs at the hard-working coach, staff, and players?"

Previously, the team led by coach Shin failed to advance to the round of 16 in the 2018 Russia World Cup group stage with one win and two losses. At that time, disappointed fans threw eggs at coach Shin and the players upon their return through Incheon Airport.