The Tottenham star was left with a dislocated finger (Picture: Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the South Korean FA has confirmed reports that Tottenham star Son Heung-min injured his finger during a team-mate bust-up at the Asian Cup.
The 31-year-old was seen with strapping around two of the fingers on his right hand during South Korea’s shock 2-0 defeat to Jordan in the semi-finals.
A few days later, he was back in north London to take on Brighton – coming off the bench to set up his side’s 96th-minute winner – and once again had strapping on his fingers.
On Tuesday, reports emerged suggesting Son had actually dislocated a finger after getting into a tussle with a younger team-mate the night before taking on Jordan.
Son was believed to be unhappy that several younger members of the South Korea squad had tried to rush away from a team meal in order to play ping pong.
As skipper, he felt the meal was a last chance to bond before the semi-final but a scuffle broke out when he and other senior players confronted their more junior team-mates.
‘Disrespectful things’ were reportedly said to Son during the disagreement, leading to an altercation, and Son’s finger was injured when the players were pulled apart.
Son still had the strapping during Saturday’s game (Picture: Getty)
The Korean Football Association have now confirmed that the incident did take place, with the confrontation the cause of Son’s finger injury.
‘It happened when some young players went up to play table tennis, and Son Heung-min and other older players took issue with it,’ a South Korean FA official told the Korea Herald.
‘The players exchanged a few words and Son hurt his finger in the process.’
According to the reports, Paris Saint-Germain’s 22-year-old attacker Lee Kang-in was the main player who clashed with Son and he issued an apology on social media on Wednesday.
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‘I should have listened to my brothers and set a better example. I regret showing a negative side to soccer fans,’ he wrote. ‘To everyone who was let down by my actions, I apologise.’
South Korea’s defeat to Jordan extended their long wait to win the Asian Cup, which dates back to 1960, and prompted calls for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to resign.
The German has refused to do so and said he would analyse and debrief the failings of the tournament in a meeting with the KFA on Thursday, where the incident with Son – which hints at a deeper squad chemistry issue and lack of leadership from the management – will undoubtedly be discussed.
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