South Korea's national team trained together on Nov. 10 at Qatar University in Doha under interim coach Robert Moreno, a show of unity after weeks of reported friction and speculation about divisions within the squad. South Korea will face Saudi Arabia in Al Rayyan on Nov. 13 before meeting Qatar in Doha four days later, in what will be the team's final international fixture of the year.
Signs of discord had emerged during the September and October international windows. Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae tossed his cleats toward the bench after being substituted in a friendly against Venezuela on Oct. 2, later saying he had not felt the players were "fighting together." Porto's Hwang In-beom also voiced frustration, saying that despite entering his ninth year with the national team, little had changed in several areas.
Ahead of South Korea's Oct. 6 match against Uzbekistan, rumors circulated in soccer circles that Kim, Hwang In-beom and Schalke 04's Hwang Hee-chan, all born in 1996, were considering retiring from international soccer over dissatisfaction with captain Son Heung-min's leadership.
About two weeks before the latest training session, South Korean lawmakers had questioned the acting KFA president over separate reports that national team players were calling Son "No 7" rather than his name, according to an earlier report.
Moreno recalled all the players at the center of the controversy for the November friendlies. He said he had discussed the issues directly with them and that the players had also held lengthy conversations among themselves.
One moment at the Nov. 10 training session drew particular attention, with Son and Hwang Hee-chan seen walking side by side. The Korea Football Association's public relations office said the two had spoken for some time, with Son smiling as he listened to Hwang.
Son also called on his teammates to put their differences aside and rally around a common purpose. Union Berlin's Jeong Woo-yeong said Son had urged the players to "have fun, smile together and share positive energy." Swansea City's Eom Ji-sung said the captain had encouraged them to "come together as one and perform well in these international matches."
Son will have his sights set on reaching 60 international goals across the two friendlies. He scored his 59th goal for South Korea with a free kick against Uzbekistan last month, moving past former national team coach Cha Bum-kun, who scored 58, to become the country's all-time leading scorer in men's international soccer.
