Japanese media are complaining about the East Asian Cup being held in Yongin.
The men's national soccer team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will debut in the EAFF E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) at Yongin Mir Stadium on July 7.
Since this tournament is not being held during the FIFA-sanctioned international match window, the roster has been primarily compiled from players active in East Asia. The men's national team comprises players mainly from the K League, with all but three players being K League participants, excluding J-League players. Among them, only Kim Dong-heon (Incheon) is from K League 2, while the others belong to K League 1.
A total of seven players, including Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima), Byeon Joon-soo (Gwangju), Seo Myung-gwan (Ulsan), Kim Tae-hyun (Jeonbuk), Seo Min-woo (Gangwon), Lee Seung-won (Gimcheon), and Lee Ho-jae (Pohang), have been selected to the A national team for the first time. Na Sang-ho (Machida) returns to the national team after two years since the June 2023 convocations.
Hong Myung-bo's team will start their campaign against China in the opening match at 8 p.m. on July 7, followed by games against Hong Kong at 8 p.m. on the 11th and against Japan at 7:24 p.m. on the 15th.
As per the decision of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF), the participant roster for the upcoming EAFF E-1 Championship has been expanded from the original 23 players to 26 players. Midfielders Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Mo Jae-hyun (Gangwon FC), and forward Joo Min-kyu (Daejeon Hana Citizen) have joined the men's national team.
Japanese media have already raised objections regarding this tournament being held in Korea. The publication 'Kekisaka' criticized on the 27th, saying, 'The East Asian Cup held in Korea is in a hot and humid summer environment.'
It is true that Korea's summer is hot. However, Japan is not in a position to criticize. Korea and Japan have similar summer temperatures, but the humidity is much higher in Japan. Japan has faced considerable complaints during the Tokyo Olympics due to their stifling weather. In Tokyo, the average number of rainy days in July is 10.3, which is much more humid than in Korea.
'Kekisaka' reported, 'The schedule for the East Asian Cup is too dense, so the organizers changed their stance to allow the selection of three additional players.'
However, it is a similar situation for any team to have to play another match after a three-day rest following a game. It is not right for only Japan to claim that this is a disadvantage. Japan has been scheduled to play all three matches at a relatively comfortable time of 7:24 p.m.
In contrast, China plays a match against Japan on the 12th and then faces Hong Kong on the 15th with only two days of rest. Moreover, China will have to play the match against Hong Kong at a much hotter time of 4 p.m., putting them at a greater disadvantage. While it is understandable for China to raise concerns, it is hard to comprehend why Japan would have complaints.
[OSEN]