The biggest subject of Korean football is “Zandi”. From K-League to the national team, the gas environment in rice fields makes us cry. Since last year, the need for improvement has been underlined and the voices of coaches and players have continued. Now, grass is a question of interest in each match, even on the stage of the national team. The team captain, the son Heung-Min, raised his voice on “K-Zandi” and the improvement of the environment.
The South Korean football national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-Bo, recorded two draws in group B 7-8 of the third Asian qualification for the North-Nord 2026 World Cup, which will lead to Oman-Jordan. Initially, it was intended to confirm its progress at the World Cup at the start of two consecutive victories, but it was smoke. Hong Myung-Bo maintained his group’s advance by maintaining an undefeated trend with four victories and four draws (16 points), but he showed a bad performance for two consecutive matches, leaving only criticism.
However, Hong Myung-Bo’s advance towards the World Cup is full of hope. Iraq, third place, has undergone a defeat of 1-2 against the Palestinians, remaining at 3 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats (12 points). Hong Myung-Bo had a draw with Jordan and rather fled by a point. During the third qualification round, the qualification of the World Cup will be given to the first and second places of each group. If they beat Iraq directly in an outside match in Iraq in June, they will win the final, regardless of the result of match 10.
In addition to the performance of the national team for two consecutive home games, the stadium state was regrettable. The Korea Football Association played two consecutive games at home at the Goyang stadium (against Oman) and the Suwon World Cup Stadium (against Jordan). I had no choice but to leave the Sangam World Cup Stadium, the home of the national team. Due to Sangam’s “non -urinary grass”. FC Seoul, which uses the Sangam World Cup Stadium as a home stadium, is in trouble in each match. In particular, he showed the worst condition of the stadium between Seoul and Gimcheon on the 3rd. Jesse Lingard, a foreign player from the Premier League of Seoul, criticized the grass through his SNS.
Due to the stability of the players, the Korea Football Association finally planned the national team in another stadium, but has left a regret. In particular, the condition of the stadium at the Goyang stadium was the worst. During the match against Oman, the grass was torn apart when the players went out to change direction or try to shoot. The earth floor was deeply dug and a groove was formed, and the play of players was not intact.
Bad stadium conditions have led to injuries to players. Baek Seung-Ho suffered an injury to the hamstrings while trying to change direction and was replaced early. Lee Kang-in, who replaced Baek Seung-ho, also underwent an ankle injury due to a collision with the opponent while the grass was swept away in the opponent’s attacking process at the end of the second half. The two players were injured due to the effects of the grass.
Concerns have followed over the Suwon World Cup stadium, where the match against Jordan will be held in the state of the Goyang stadium. Fortunately, the Suwon World Cup stadium was in better condition than the Goyang stadium. Last year, the Suwon World Cup stadium began renovation work. The grass has also been replaced. Suwon Samsung, which is used as a domestic stage, did not have a big problem even if it had a calendar of Asan (K Ligue 2) and Seoul E-LAND (Korean Cup). The national team was also able to play without any problems.
The grass is the basic environment of football. Everyone knows that players on a good lawn can perform well. Hong Myung-Bo is currently low at home. He has three wins and a draw in four outside games and a victory and three draws at home. The pressure on the house and the poor condition of the players due to long -distance trips can also be the reason, but the state of the grass is not not relevant either. Recently, the players of the national team stressed that this is a question directly linked to performance when it was questioned on the grass.
After the match against Jordan, the son Heung-Min once again expressed his regret about the environment in which the national team is. To do this, we should find another way of adapting it, “he said.
Son Heung-Min said everything is an excuse for his disappointing home performance, but it is also influenced by grass. “As it is a home game, I have to do it in good condition and in an environment, but I am very disappointed. It is now difficult to speak on behalf of the players. You should pay more attention to the environment in which you can play football so.
(Suwon = Kim Young Hoon, MK Sports Reporter)
