عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

South Korea Coach Takes Swipe at Bayern Munich Over Kim Injury

Leverkusen's Patrik Schick (L) in action against Kim Min-jae (R) of Bayern during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich, in Leverkusen, Germany, 11 March 2025. EPA/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick (L) in action against Kim Min-jae (R) of Bayern during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich, in Leverkusen, Germany, 11 March 2025. EPA/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
TT
20
TT

South Korea Coach Takes Swipe at Bayern Munich Over Kim Injury

Leverkusen's Patrik Schick (L) in action against Kim Min-jae (R) of Bayern during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich, in Leverkusen, Germany, 11 March 2025. EPA/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick (L) in action against Kim Min-jae (R) of Bayern during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich, in Leverkusen, Germany, 11 March 2025. EPA/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL

South Korea's coach on Monday hit out at Bayern Munich over their handling of Kim Min-jae after the defensive stalwart was ruled out of crunch World Cup qualifiers with an Achilles tendon injury.

The 28-year-old center-back missed Bayern's 1-1 draw at Union Berlin on Saturday and is also out of South Korea's 2026 qualifiers against Oman and Jordan, AFP reported.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said last week that Kim will be out for "several weeks".

Speaking ahead of the home game against Oman on Thursday, South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said that "Munich failed to properly protect him in terms of injury prevention".

"Kim Min-jae is an extremely important player not only for his club Bayern Munich but also for our national team," Hong told reporters according to Yonhap news agency.

"Just because a match is important doesn't mean it's right to have Kim on the pitch," he added.

Hong said there had been "continuous signs" since last year that Kim was struggling with injury.

"We were fully aware of that," he said.

Victories against Oman and again at home to Jordan on Tuesday next week will send South Korea to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Kim is an ever-present for his country with 69 caps.

He moved to Bayern from then Italian champions Napoli in the summer of 2023 and has gone on to make 73 appearances for the German giants in all competitions.

Most Viewed

 
Sports

Liverpool Up for the Fight despite Man City Masterclass, Says Van Dijk

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said his side will not give up despite a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Darren Staples / AFP
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said his side will not give up despite a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Darren Staples / AFP
TT
20
TT

Liverpool Up for the Fight despite Man City Masterclass, Says Van Dijk

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said his side will not give up despite a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Darren Staples / AFP
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said his side will not give up despite a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Darren Staples / AFP

Virgil van Dijk said Liverpool will fight back after a demoralizing 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, but manager Arne Slot conceded the English champions cannot look at the Premier League title race right now.

Five defeats in six league games have dropped the Reds down to eighth, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, AFP said.

City showed they are the major threat to the Gunners right now as goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku closed Pep Guardiola's men to within four points of Arsenal.

"The reality is that we lost 3-0 and that is a big blow," said Liverpool captain Van Dijk.

"We are not going to give up whatsoever. We are in November and we are ready for a long season and a big fight."

Decisions did not go Liverpool's way as Van Dijk had a goal at 1-0 controversially disallowed for Andy Robertson standing offside in front of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

However, Slot admitted that complaining about that call would only mask the difference in class between the sides at the Etihad.

"I will not say because of that we lost the game, because at 1-1 if City continued like they were playing, we would have struggled in the second half as well," said Slot.

Yet, despite their awful run, Liverpool are only two points adrift of Chelsea in third.

"We need to get results before we can think about that (the title race)," added the Dutchman.

"The best way to judge the league table is after 38 games but the next best is after 19 games when we have all played each other.

"The first focus is getting results, the last thing we should focus on is the title race. We need to improve and that's obvious."

A resounding victory allowed Pep Guardiola to celebrate his 1,000th game in management.

After a first trophyless season in eight years, a refreshed City look more like their old selves.

"Last season could not do that," said Guardiola. "We lost energy.

"I tried desperately to do anything, but I was not able to make a click to the team, to react and to do it.

"For many reasons we were not able to do, but it was a good lesson."

Arsenal's 10-game winning run and eight consecutive clean sheets in all competitions came to an end in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

Guardiola said the chance to close in on the leaders did not go unnoticed but said his players had to show they are title contenders again.

"They dropped points finally," added the City boss.

"I said to the players 'guys, don't do it because yesterday Arsenal didn't win. Let's do it to believe ourselves'.

"We play against the champions of England. Show them that we are able to be there with them (Arsenal) this season and today I think we proved it."

Sports

Hamilton Upbeat Despite 'Nightmare' at Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain competes in the 2025 Formula One Grand Prix of Sao Paulo at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace racetrack in Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 09 November 2025. EPA/Sebastiao Moreira
Scuderia Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain competes in the 2025 Formula One Grand Prix of Sao Paulo at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace racetrack in Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 09 November 2025. EPA/Sebastiao Moreira
TT
20
TT

Hamilton Upbeat Despite 'Nightmare' at Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain competes in the 2025 Formula One Grand Prix of Sao Paulo at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace racetrack in Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 09 November 2025. EPA/Sebastiao Moreira
Scuderia Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain competes in the 2025 Formula One Grand Prix of Sao Paulo at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace racetrack in Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 09 November 2025. EPA/Sebastiao Moreira

Lewis Hamilton did his best to stay upbeat for the future on Sunday after yet another wretched weekend in what he described as a "nightmare" year with Ferrari.

Both the seven-time world champion and his team-mate Charles Leclerc were forced to retire from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil, where he is an honorary citizen.

Hamilton was retired by the team after battling on for 40 laps in a damaged car following several incidents in the opening laps and a penalty, while Leclerc retired on lap six following a collision in which he was an innocent victim.

"It’s a nightmare," AFP quoted Hamilton as saying. "I’ve been living it now for a while and the flip between living the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results that we’ve had.

"The ups and downs. It's challenging, but tomorrow I’ll get back up. I’ll keep training and I’ll keep working with the team.

"I really wanted to get them good points this weekend, but I’ll come back as strong as I can in the next race and try to recover.

"We are really having to fight through those hardships at the moment, but I believe there is something up ahead in my life and in my destiny.

"Truly, I still believe in this team and what we can achieve. I just have to keep pushing and never give up.”

Hamilton has added an unwanted record to his many spectacular successes this season by going 21 races without a podium finish, an all-time low among Ferrari drivers, and on Sunday suffered more bad luck at the start of the Interlagos race.

"I don’t really know what happened at Turn One, but obviously it’s not great to be hit and after that the car was just gone,” said Hamilton, who was given a five-second penalty for colliding with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto on the opening lap when he also in contact with Williams’ Carlos Sainz, the driver he replaced at Ferrari this year.

"But that’s how it has been this season. It's obviously a disaster, a stress and a disappointment for everyone in the team. but I'm trying to keep my head above water.

"I'm trying to remain positive. Charles did a great job in qualifying yesterday so there is some performance in our car and I agree that at this point I just have to believe that something will come out of all these hardships we’re going through."

Sports

Riyadh to Host World’s Top Golfers for PIF Saudi International 2025

Riyadh to Host World’s Top Golfers for PIF Saudi International 2025
TT
20
TT

Riyadh to Host World’s Top Golfers for PIF Saudi International 2025

Riyadh to Host World’s Top Golfers for PIF Saudi International 2025

Golf Saudi announced the launch of the PIF Saudi International 2025 powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, to be held from November 19 to 22 at Riyadh Golf Club, featuring a lineup of the world’s top golf stars as part of Riyadh Season 2025.

Golf enthusiasts will have the chance to watch some of the game’s biggest names, including Joaquín Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton, and Dustin Johnson, compete in the final event of the International Series under the Asian Tour, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

Golf Saudi aims to position the Kingdom as a global leader in the sport by organizing world-class tournaments such as the PIF Saudi International, developing high-standard facilities, and implementing best practices across all its events.

The championship marks the conclusion of nine major tournaments on the International Series calendar for the season, offering Asian Tour players a direct path to the LIV Golf League. The top-ranked player in the final standings will earn a spot in the 2026 LIV Golf League.

This is the second consecutive year the championship will be held at Riyadh Golf Club, the headquarters of Golf Saudi and one of the capital’s premier courses. Spanning 7,434 yards and built to world championship standards with a par of 72, the course has previously hosted major events such as the PIF Saudi Open, Aramco Team Series – Riyadh, and the Aramco Saudi Ladies International.