South Korea FA warns against personal attacks amid squad-division claims

South Korea’s football association has urged fans to stop making “excessive personal attacks” on national team players, warning that online speculation about divisions in the squad could cause a severe psychological burden.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) issued its warning on Tuesday, 13 October, after South Korea’s group-stage exit from the 2026 World Cup, amid claims of divisions in the squad. The national side are also preparing for the Asian Cup, scheduled for January in Saudi Arabia.

Reports of a squad rift

Local media reports say some younger players feel held back by senior members of the squad, including long-time captain Son Heung-min. The KFA condemned what it described as attempts to sow discord.

“Unverified information and speculative claims about national football team players have recently been spreading on social media and online forums, with some players facing excessive criticism and personal attacks,” the association said in a statement.

Speculation about discord emerged after Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae threw his boots in anger following his substitution during South Korea’s 0-0 home draw with Venezuela this month. Kim said afterwards that “every player needs to put their head down and give it their all”, a comment that fuelled talk of divisions within the squad.

The KFA said criticism had crossed a line. “Such behaviour goes beyond the bounds of legitimate criticism and can place a severe psychological burden on individual players,” it said, urging fans to refrain from “making assumptions about internal team dynamics and fuelling divisions within the squad”.

The latest firestorm follows a separate backlash over post-match celebrations by some players who earned exemptions from mandatory military service after winning gold at the Asian Games. Those celebrations were seen as suggesting the exemptions had been their main motivation, prompting Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul to pledge to scale back the benefit.

Decisions ahead of the Asian Cup

South Korea are still dealing with the fallout from their World Cup campaign in North America. Hong Myung-bo quit as coach after the team failed to progress beyond the group stage.

Spanish interim coach Robert Moreno is awaiting a decision on a possible extension. With the Asian Cup scheduled for January, the association’s immediate message to supporters is to avoid treating unverified claims about relationships within the squad as fact.