South Korea coach criticises Bayern over Kim Min-jae injury
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo has criticised Bayern Munich’s handling of Kim Min-jae after the defender was ruled out of crucial World Cup qualifiers due to an Achilles tendon injury.
The 28-year-old missed Bayern’s 1-1 draw against Union Berlin on Saturday and will also be unavailable for South Korea’s upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Jordan. Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany confirmed last week that Kim is expected to be sidelined for “several weeks.”
Speaking ahead of South Korea’s match against Oman on Thursday, Hong expressed frustration over Bayern’s injury management.
“Munich failed to properly protect him in terms of injury prevention,” Hong said, according to Yonhap News Agency. “Kim Min-jae is an extremely important player not only for his club Bayern Munich but also for our national team. Just because a match is important doesn’t mean it’s right to have Kim on the pitch.”
Hong suggested that signs of Kim’s injury struggles had been evident for some time.
“There had been continuous signs since last year that Kim was struggling with injury. We were fully aware of that,” he added.
South Korea will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with victories over Oman and Jordan.
Kim has earned 69 international caps for South Korea and has been a key figure for Bayern since joining from Napoli in 2023, making 73 appearances across all competitions.
(Source: AFP)
