"A junior in the soccer community crossed the line with 'Hong Myung-bo, get out'": Kim Byung-hyun targets Kim Young-gwang... fans are divided

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Byung-hyun, a former Major League Baseball pitcher, made a bold statement saying that juniors in the soccer community who criticized Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, had "crossed the line." Reactions from soccer fans are mixed.

In a video titled "[Unedited Version] 2026 World Cup Bold Statements" uploaded to his YouTube channel on the 28th, Kim Byung-hyun said, "I am not a soccer person; I am simply someone who supports South Korean soccer. I have never met Coach Hong Myung-bo personally," but added, "After the South Africa tournament, I saw a regrettable scene as a sportsman."

He continued, "Even though there was still a possibility of us reaching the round of 32, the comments from juniors in the soccer community seemed to cross the line, and they sounded quite grating to my ears."

The South Korean national team led by Coach Hong Myung-bo delivered a disappointing performance at the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup. They were drawn into Group A along with Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa. Although there were many assessments that they faced relatively easy opponents right after the draw, the result was one win and two losses (3 points), finishing third in Group A.

The start was good. South Korea came from behind to defeat Czechia 2-1 in the first group stage match. However, they lost 0-1 to host nation Mexico in the second match, and were also defeated 0-1 in the final match against South Africa.

In particular, the loss to South Africa was fatal. South Korea could have advanced to the round of 32 as the second-place team in Group A with just a draw against South Africa. However, they failed to achieve even the minimum result and missed their chance to qualify for the round of 32 on their own. At that time, there was still hope. Although the final result was South Korea's elimination from the group stage, at that time, there was even a possibility of advancing to the tournament stage as one of the top third-place teams in the groups.

However, fierce criticism was directed at Coach Hong due to the loss to South Africa. Not only soccer fans but also soccer people who were former players expressed strong dissatisfaction.

Earlier, former national team goalkeeper Kim Young-gwang made headlines by shouting the slogan "Hong Myung-bo, get out" while mentioning the World Cup group stage situation on a TikTok live broadcast.

Seemingly targeting this, Kim Byung-hyun said, "I thought that ordinary fans could easily use the phrase 'Hong Myung-bo, get out,' but it seemed grating to me that a distant junior in the soccer community, and someone who played on the national team together, used such words, as it did not uphold the basic principles of athletes that I have learned and thought about throughout my life."

He also added, "I feel that someone should still speak out like this, so I am prepared to be cursed while speaking."

He acknowledged that Coach Hong bears responsibility for the team's poor performance. He said, "The national team's failure to achieve results is the responsibility of the leadership, the coach, the coaches, and the players. However, first and foremost, the coach must take responsibility."

However, he expressed regret regarding the timing and manner of the criticism. Kim Byung-hyun stated, "But it is something that can be questioned after everything is over. As someone who has been in sports all my life, it makes me angry that such an atmosphere was created even before the possibility of reaching the round of 32 was over."

He also explained the reason for uploading this video. Kim Byung-hyun said, "I hope our society is not too extreme. It is true that people must take responsibility for themselves, but I do not want this extreme atmosphere to be passed on to our children as if it were nothing and natural."

He added, "As athletes, we lived with pride in the discipline between our seniors and juniors, our own etiquette and manners, and the things we have upheld. I hope these continue to be maintained."

Netizens' opinions are also divided on this. Some soccer fans criticized Kim Byung-hyun's statements through communities, saying, "The era of treating legends with respect is over," and "It is not about speaking on matters you do not know." On the other hand, there were also responses agreeing with Kim Byung-hyun's claims, such as "It is not good for children to see this."

Finally, Kim Byung-hyun emphasized, "Ordinary people can speak like that, but those who should follow basic rules, and those who, in a way, play the role of a speaker and resonate with many people, should not make such remarks."

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*This content was translated by AI.