"Couldn't even meet family" World Cup national team revelation → Hong Myung-bo strongly refutes: "Yens Castrof's remarks are completely untrue"

*This content was translated by AI.

Controversy over control of the national team's accommodation and restrictions on family visits reached the National Assembly hearing stage. Coach Hong Myung-bo fully refuted revelations made by Yens Castrof (Borussia Mönchengladbach), who played for the South Korean national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, in an interview with a German media outlet.

At the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing on issues related to the Korea Football Association held on the 30th, questioning continued based on Castrof's foreign media interview content. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Seung-su presented photos taken by a Korean beautician inside the national team's accommodation room with key players such as Hwang In-beom and coach Kim Jin-kyu, stating, "General personnel who are not even related to the football team entered an accommodation that security personnel should have strictly controlled, took photos, and even boasted about them on social networking services (SNS). This shows a lax discipline in a situation where results were poor."

Kim (Rep.) then strongly questioned, "In Castrof's case, his family even took a month off to visit him locally, yet they couldn't even meet him. General people can enter the accommodation, but families cannot. Isn't this reverse discrimination? Poor management of the team like this must be why the results turned out that way."

The remarks mentioned by Kim (Rep.) refer to an interview with Castrof reported by the German media outlet 'Bild' on the 24th. Castrof sat out both the first and second group stage matches of the World Cup's Group A before being substituted in during the second half of the final match against South Africa, playing only 45 minutes.

In an interview with 'Bild', Castrof opened by saying, "This World Cup did not proceed as I wanted from a sports perspective, and I am also completely dissatisfied with the process."

He then commented on the accommodation environment of Ma Ryeon-dwaet-deon (CEO)'s team in Guadalajara, Mexico, stating, "We were unable to go outside due to safety concerns, and could meet our family for only two days after the match ended. My entire family took a month off to come locally, but not being able to play in the match or even meet my family was truly painful. Other teams must have had better environments and opportunities," expressing his dissatisfaction.

Former national team coach Hong Myung-bo, who appeared as a witness at the hearing, acknowledged responsibility for team management but drew a line by stating that Castrof's interview content was not factual.

Former Coach Hong said, "I believe I, as the head coach, must take responsibility for this part," while fully denying Castrof's claims, stating, "However, what the current Yens player is saying is completely different from the facts."

However, regarding criticisms that security management at the accommodation was lax, with general outsiders entering players' rooms to take photos, he bowed his head and said, "As the head coach, I apologize for this part."

Meanwhile, Castrof returned to his club team Mönchengladbach earlier this week after completing World Cup duties. Shortly after returning, a minor knee injury was confirmed during Wednesday training, and he is currently adjusting his training load.

Additionally, in an official press conference, Castrof shared his thoughts on participating in the first World Cup of his career and outlined his goals for the next season. He stated, "My personal goal is to reduce games missed due to injury. While missing 3-4 weeks due to injury is unavoidable, I will make sure not to miss time due to minor injuries."

He also added regarding his performance as a multi-player in last season's Bundesliga: "I do not oppose receiving a fixed position, but if I can play in many matches by rotating like last season, I would not refuse that either."

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*This content was translated by AI.