Bayern Munich made a glaring mistake by openly dismissing South Korea. Some have claimed that this was an intentional move, asserting it was not a 'mistake'.
Bayern Munich confirmed the Bundesliga championship for the 2024-2025 season on the 5th (Korea time). On this day, Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 in an away match against Freiburg, failing to gain 3 points, and thus Bayern, with 76 points, secured the top position regardless of the remaining 2 matches. It was the 34th Bundesliga champion title.
For Korean defender Kim Min-jae, this championship is a historic moment. He became the first Korean player to experience winning titles in two of Europe's top five leagues, having won with Serie A's SSC Napoli in the 2022-2023 season and now with Bayern Munich.
In the process of sharing the joy of victory, Kim Min-jae strangely went missing. The thumbnail of the championship celebration video posted on Bayern's official YouTube channel included coach Kompany, Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane, Thomas Müller, and Leon Goretzka, but Kim Min-jae, who recorded the second-most playing time in the team this season (2,289 minutes in the league, 3,593 minutes in total), was not included.
Goretzka had only 2,147 minutes of league play due to injuries and substitutions. Kim Min-jae's defensive partner, Upamecano, also missed many games due to injuries but appeared in the thumbnail. Moreover, even though Bayern already had an image featuring the entire squad, the fact that Kim Min-jae was excluded from the newly created thumbnail raised suspicions among fans.
A similar situation occurred on the official Bundesliga channel. In a championship celebration animation produced by the league's official YouTube, a total of 13 players appeared, but Kim Min-jae was again excluded. In contrast, Eric Dier, who played only 1,285 minutes this season, was included.
Domestic fans, as well as some overseas fans, raised questions about this 'Kim Min-jae passing.' Some voiced that it wasn’t just a simple mistake, suggesting a deliberate exclusion of Asian players, and even raised concerns about potential racist intentions.
As the controversy spread, Bayern quickly replaced the thumbnail with an image featuring the entire squad and posted a solo poster of Kim Min-jae the next day in an effort to quell the situation. The official social media only revealed in Korea included a message congratulating Kim Min-jae on his victory.
However, this left a disappointing point. In that post, the club stated, 'Kim Min-jae is the first Korean player to win the Bundesliga,' which is not accurate. In fact, Jung Woo-young had already appeared on the official championship list after playing one match each in the league and the Champions League during the 2018-2019 season as a member of Bayern. Ultimately, the statement was revised, but it clearly highlighted the club's lack of awareness and preparation.
Throughout last season, Kim Min-jae played while dealing with Achilles tendon pain and served as the anchor of the defense. German media 'Bavarian Football Works' reported in March that 'Coach Kompany is using Kim Min-jae until he wears out.' He expressed a sense of responsibility, stating, 'I would rather break than sit on the bench,' and was regarded as a 'fighter' by his teammates and fans.
Given that he has been repeatedly excluded from championship content, this small disregard may not simply be a mistake, but could become a significant scar for someone. Kim Min-jae is undoubtedly an essential name when discussing Bayern's championship this season. Whether the attempts to erase him were intentional or not, the message it sends should not be taken lightly.
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