Spain’s most famous daily newspaper ‘Marca’ also paid attention to Lee Kang-in’s participation in the Asian Games.
Lee Kang-in was included in the final roster of the national soccer team for the upcoming 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. However, because the Asian Games are not a competition organized by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the national team needed to reach an agreement with Lee Kang-in’s team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), in order to select him. Fortunately, the timing of Lee Kang-in’s selection was decided before the Asian Games national team left the country. Coach Hwang Seon-hong predicted that Lee Kang-in would join after the UEFA Champions League (UCL) match on the 20th and arrive around the evening of the 21st, local time.
메이저놀이터 Lee Kang-in’s selection for the Asian Games is also a hot topic in Europe. There are often cases where players are called up to the national team during the season, but it is usually the Asian Cup or African Cup of Nations. Since the Asian Games is a competition not organized by FIFA and involves military service benefits for Korean players, it is a competition that may be perceived differently from the perspective of Europe, where mandatory service systems are not common.
Spain’s ‘Marca’ highlighted Lee Kang-in’s selection for the Asian Games and said, “PSG made concessions to Lee Kang-in to avoid him having to serve in the military for 21 months. This is the situation Tottenham Hotspur recently experienced with Son Heung-min. Lee Kang-in said: “I will be leaving the team to participate in the Asian Games,” he said. However, the current mandatory service period in Korea has been reduced to 18 months.
Citing a report from the French media ‘Le Parisien’, the media said, “When PSG recruited Lee Kang-in, they knew that Lee Kang-in’s military service would be unusual. PSG sent Lee Kang-in to Korea for the Asian Games. PSG’s plans “Lee Kang-in is not performing mandatory military service. However, it is not enough for Lee Kang-in to participate in the Asian Games.”
He continued, “In fact, the way to avoid military service is to win this competition. Son Heung-min shed tears as he lifted the trophy after achieving this in 2018. An Asian Games or Olympic gold medal is the only way to skip national duty. “It’s a method,” he explained, citing Son Heung-min as an example. Even bronze medalists in the Olympics can receive service benefits.
‘Marca’ emphasized that Lee Kang-in needs to compete for a starting role in PSG. The media said, “PSG is still waiting for Lee Kang-in, who is in his best form. Lee Kang-in has barely played two games due to injury. Also, competition has intensified with the arrival of Ousmane Dembele and Langdal Kolo Muani at the end of the transfer market.
