Conflicting claims over Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung being left out of the starting lineup: "Infighting within the national team" vs. "Are they blaming the players?"

[Financial News] Conflicting claims are emerging over why South Korea captain Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Lee Jae-sung (1. FSV Mainz 05) did not start in the third Group A match against South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh said, citing a tip from a key insider, that the reason was "discord within the team." MBC football commentator Seo Hyung-wook countered that there was "no evidence to support an infighting theory."
According to JoongAng Ilbo on the 2nd, Jin Jong-oh, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee who runs a tip-off center for hidden administration and corruption at the Korea Football Association, said, "According to tips from multiple key insiders who know the national team situation well, there was discord within the team ahead of the match against South Africa."

Jin explained that disagreements over the interview boycott led to Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung being left out of the starting lineup.
The interview boycott Jin referred to began after a conversation among some reporters mocking Son Heung-min's military service exemption was accidentally broadcast on a YouTube channel run by a broadcaster at the training ground in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 7th of last month, just before the tournament. In response, the squad boycotted interviews after its opening win over the Czech Republic.
Jin said internal conflict later surfaced over how long the boycott should continue. He claimed Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung took a hard-line stance, insisting that the boycott should continue, while other players were uncomfortable with going without interviews for so long during the World Cup.
Former head coach Hong Myung-bo reportedly told the players after the Mexico match, "Now do the interviews," and while the players complied, Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung did not take part. However, Lee Jae-sung was reportedly unable to give an interview at the time because he was undergoing a doping test.
Jin argued that this conflict was "the reason Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung were left out of the South Africa match."
In fact, after the loss to South Africa, Hong Myung-bo had indirectly suggested that the atmosphere in the squad was not smooth at the time.
Hong told reporters on the 26th of last month, "There was some unrest around the Mexico match, but I do not think there was a problem within the squad," adding, "I tend to be very sensitive about those matters and prepare thoroughly, so I can say there was nothing like that."
He added, "I think this is the first tournament where things have not been this chaotic both inside and outside," and said, "At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, it was about 50 times more difficult than now."

There were also opposing views to Jin's claim.
A football industry source told JoongAng Ilbo that Hong Myung-bo had never mentioned interviews.
Seo also appeared on MBC News Today and directly challenged Jin's claim, saying, "It is very questionable that Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung were not used as starters in such an important third match, but there is no evidence to support an infighting theory."
Referring to Jin's claim that there was discord within the national team ahead of the South Africa match, Seo said, "Based on my reporting, that is not true."
He said, "Hong Myung-bo did not have enough control over the locker room to bench players simply because he asked for interviews and they did not do them," adding, "I hope this issue does not grow any further, because it seems to be pushing the cause of the team's poor performance toward internal conflict among players or division, rather than external factors or the coach's ability."
He went on to say, "The Korea Football Association's inconsistent approach in setting the framework and appointing the coach, along with the lack of a long-term plan, was exposed in an extreme way at this tournament," adding, "I hope this becomes an opportunity to pursue many reforms and changes."
Meanwhile, Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the ministry would form a committee to analyze the reasons for the team's group-stage exit from the World Cup and thoroughly investigate the process.newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter