Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min dislocated his finger during a disagreement with younger team-mates while at the Asian Cup with the South Korea national team.
The incident happened following a team dinner ahead of South Korea’s semi-final against Jordan when younger players — including Paris-Saint Germain’s 22-year-old forward Lee Kang-in — wanted to leave to go and play table tennis.
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Son, who also captains South Korea, called out the younger squad members for a perceived lack of focus and during the incident ended up injuring his finger.
“It happened when some young players went up to play table tennis, and Son Heung-min and other older players took issue with it,” the South Korean FA (KFA) said in a statement to Yonhap News Agency.
“The players exchanged a few words and Son hurt his finger in the process.”
The Athletic has contacted the KFA for comment.
Son featured for Tottenham as a second-half substitute during their 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday in his first game back following the Asian Cup. The 31-year-old played with strapping around his right index and middle fingers.
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Lee, meanwhile, took to social media to apologise for the incident.
“There was an article about me having a verbal argument with Son ahead of the Asian Cup semi-final,” Lee posted on Instagram.
“I am very sorry to disappoint football fans who always support the South Korea national team.
“I should follow senior (older) players in the team, but I am sorry that I showed not nice behaviour to football fans. I apologise to all fans who were disappointed in me.
“I will try to be a better player and person helping senior and older players from now on.”
South Korea’s run of scoring late goals at the Asian Cup in Qatar had seen their style dubbed “zombie football”. They then lost 2-0 to Jordan in that semi-final, leading to criticism of the players and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Klinsmann, who is contracted until after the 2026 World Cup, then said following South Korea’s exit that he was “excited” about the team’s future and expected Son to continue playing international football.
Additional reporting: Charlie Eccleshare and Mario Cortegana
(Top photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)