Son Heung-min and the National Team: Squad Fractures, Police Raids and Open Questions

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Son Heung-min and the National Team: Squad Fractures, Police Raids and Open Questions.

On October 21, lawmaker Jeong Yeon-wook posed an unusual question to the acting president of the Korean Football Association, Lee Yong-soo, during a parliamentary committee meeting. It concerned rumors that several players had stopped referring to Son by name in the national team and were instead calling him “No. 7” or “the person.” A possible squad conflict thus moved from the sports pages into the national debate.

The background goes back further. South Korea were already eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup. After the tournament, coach Hong Myung-bo left his post, and KFA president Chung Mong-gyu also resigned. Both were questioned by lawmakers, after which KFA offices were searched by police.

The team continued to decline after the tournament. The Guardian describes an unusually complex situation marked by tensions between older and younger players. At the same time, Son's role as captain is in question. What this means for you: the controversy over the 34-year-old's title is part of a broader problem that also involves the coach, the association's leadership and the national team's recent history.

More Than a Sporting Crisis Threatened After the Elimination

The World Cup ended with a 0:1 defeat against South Africa.

Son remained on the bench for that final match. After the elimination, unnamed reporters boycotted Son because he had not completed his military service. Less than 18 months earlier, he had lifted the Europa League trophy as Tottenham's captain. At the time, he had ended a 10-year Premier League spell at Tottenham. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer, citing, among other things, preparation for the 2026 World Cup as his reason.

There were further consequences immediately after the tournament began. Coach Hong and association president Chung resigned, were questioned by lawmakers, and the KFA offices were searched by police. Everyone involved agrees that the summer was catastrophic for Korean football. But the subsequent political investigations turned the sporting crisis into a societal conflict.

The Old Guard Questions the Leadership

Several players born in 1996 are said to want a new captain and a new coach.

According to reports, those dissatisfied with the leadership were, above all, Kim Min-jae of FC Bayern Munich, Hwang In-beom of FC Porto and Hwang Hee-chan, who previously played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and is now with Schalke 04. After the World Cup, these players wanted a fresh start with a new captain and a new national-team coach.

The situation nevertheless remains unclear. Robert Moreno was appointed in September as an interim coach until the end of November. At the same time, there was initially no president of the Korean Football Association following Chung Mong-gyu's resignation. In the quoted conversation, Lee Yong-soo serves as the acting KFA president.

The discontent extends to specific statements by the players.

After the 0:0 draw against Venezuela on October 2, Hwang In-beom said: “I am physically and mentally exhausted.” He added that he had been with the national team for about nine years and that many things in football and other areas should have changed during that time, but that this had not happened.

Kim Min-jae, for his part, criticized the commitment of individual teammates. He said: “Everyone has to fight together and give their all, but we did not do that.” Thus, in another World Cup, the team not only lacks a clear sporting direction. Public criticism also explicitly concerns the collective commitment within the squad.

A Rumor Became a Political Question on October 21

The decisive moment came on October 21.

During a parliamentary committee meeting, Jeong Yeon-wook directed his question to Lee Yong-soo. According to his account, players had by then begun referring to Son in the team as “No. 7” or “the person.” The wording did not sound like an offhand nickname, but rather like distance within the squad.

“It is said that the players in the national team have recently stopped calling him by his name and instead call him ‘No. 7’ or ‘the person.’ Do you know who is meant?”

Lee Yong-soo then asked whether Son Heung-min was meant. Jeong Yeon-wook answered by pointing out that the national team's leadership was fostering discord and had broken down completely.

“So it seems to be true. … It has also become known that the national team's leadership is fostering discord and has broken down completely.”

Lee Yong-soo's refusal to comment therefore forms a central part of the story. It does not confirm the allegations, but it also refuses an immediate rebuttal. The evidence is important: the central conflict was raised by a lawmaker. The report provides no independent confirmation of how widespread the description actually was among the players.

The reaction comes during a period without clear leadership at the association.

With interim coach Robert Moreno, the resignation of Chung Mong-gyu and acting president Lee Yong-soo, South Korea has several interim arrangements. Based on the players' statements and reports of squad fractures, the problem was already visible before the parliamentary meeting. The public session turned it into a dispute over leadership responsibility that extends beyond football.

Police Raids Hit the KFA Offices

The connection to the national team is clear, but the exact objects of the investigations remain open.

It is established that police searched the offices of the Korean Football Association after Hong Myung-bo and Chung Mong-gyu resigned. The raids therefore form part of the institutional context of the crisis. However, the source text provided gives neither the precise reason nor the scope of the investigations, or any direct connection to the allegations between Son and the national team's leadership.

Such a connection would amount to more than the report supports. It links the police operations, internal tensions and Son's uncertain future in an overarching description of the situation, but does not bring the three levels together through any specific cause. The raids therefore cloud the association's image, but cannot be used as evidence of a specific allegation against Son.

Son Is No Longer Untouchable — But He Is Not Finished Either

According to the report, at 34, Son is no longer a striker at elite level.

Nevertheless, his popularity in South Korea remains unbroken. He left the country at just 16 years old. There have been recent positive highlights: against Uzbekistan on October 6, he scored his 59th international goal with a free kick, setting a new record for South Korea.

His position on the field is now no longer the only question. For a long time, it was debated whether Son should play wide or centrally. According to the report, it is now also possible to ask whether he should still be in the starting lineup. His popularity does not automatically shield him from that sporting consequence.

His relationship with the media is also not comparable to that of his teammates.

After the World Cup, reporters boycotted Son over his failure to complete his military service. According to some fans, some journalists steer their reporting in revenge for this. The report describes this view as the fans' opinion, not as a verified fact. What is firmly established, however, is the public dispute over the media's role after the World Cup.

The Ronaldo Parallel Shows the Dimension — but Proves No Parity

Son and Cristiano Ronaldo share more than the No. 7 shirt.

Both are regarded as iconic No. 7s, former Premier League players and international record holders. The comparison gains additional weight because, according to the report, both could be considered controversial presences in their respective national teams.

The parallel makes the public debate about Son conspicuous. It proves nothing, however, about Ronaldo's specific situation. For South Korea itself, the decisive observation is less global: the captain's role, the national team's leadership and the association's position have now become the subject of a public parliamentary meeting.

The Leadership Question Remains Open Before the Asian Cup

The Asian Cup is due to begin on January 7.

The “Taeguk Warriors” last won the competition in 1960. For Son, the title would be a fitting crowning achievement for a career closely linked to the goal of the 2026 World Cup through his move from Tottenham to Los Angeles FC and the disappointing World Cup exit.

However, the date is not completely certain either. Because of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Asian Cup could be postponed until 2028. A postponement would give the team more time to address its internal split. It could also extend the situation if the leadership fails to establish a common direction during that time.

Until a concrete decision is made, Jeong Yeon-wook's key statement remains the most serious: the national team's leadership has broken down. The available report, however, provides no independent confirmation. What is certain is only that the allegations were made publicly, Lee Yong-soo affirmed the question about Son and then issued no statement.