"I don't think it's polite," Lee Min-seong, visibly upset, addressed the controversy over excluding some overseas-based players with "While I feel sorry..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Min-seong, head coach of the U23 Asian Games men's football national team preparing for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, responded to the controversy over excluding some overseas-based players from Seon Su-deul-ui (CEO) by stating, "I don't think it is polite to explain every detail to those who were not selected."

According to NEWSIS and the Korea Football Association on the 1st, Coach Lee Min-seong gave this answer ahead of a training camp for the men's football team at Cheonan Korea Football Park in South Chungcheong Province. The questions concerned the exclusion of players such as Jens Castroff (23, Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Kim Min-su (20, Rangers) from the final Asian Games roster.

Castroff, the first foreign-born mixed-race national team player in men's football history, has already established himself as an A-team level resource, having experienced the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. According to the football community, Coach Lee Min-seong personally announced plans to call up Castroff for the Asian Games, yet he was ultimately excluded from the final roster.

Kim Min-su is also a second-line attacking resource who has consistently performed well on the Spanish stage and is already being hailed overseas as a 'post Son Heung-min' prospect. Recently, he transferred to Scottish powerhouse Rangers FC with a transfer fee of 10 million euros (approximately 16 billion won), ranking second all-time for his club, and was assigned the number 10 jersey. He has received widespread praise since his debut for his outstanding performances. However, Kim Min-su also failed to make the final Asian Games roster.

Not only these players but also those performing steadily in the K League, such as Son Jeong-beom (FC Seoul), Seo Jae-min (Incheon United), and Han Tae-hee (Daegu FC), were excluded from the final roster. Instead, players with fewer opportunities to play for their clubs or who have fulfilled their military service obligations were selected, leading to significant criticism regarding the final Asian Games roster.

Responding somewhat sensitively to related questions with "I don't think it is polite toward the players," Coach Lee Min-seong emphasized, "Our coaching staff discussed and selected these players after dozens of deliberations. I believe these players (Hyeon Jae (CEO) team players) have the capability to win a gold medal." He added, "While I feel sorry for those who were not selected, we have very high expectations for the remaining players."

However, Lee Min-seong's team has faced criticism since its establishment last year, including finishing fourth at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in January with defeats to two-year-younger Uzbekistan and Japan, as well as a recent loss to Kyrgyzstan in a friendly match. The anxiety surrounding the team is greater than expectations for a fourth consecutive gold medal in men's football at the Asian Games, which is not unrelated to their poor previous performances. Amid this situation, various controversies over player selection have only intensified.

In response, Coach Lee Min-seong reflected on the past struggles, stating, "It may sound like an excuse, but we needed time to build organizational strength. This was part of the player selection process. We focused on selecting players specifically for the Asian Games. In previous tournaments, we never went out with a cohesive team structure or unified members."

The coach continued, "Although the process so far has not been smooth, I believe it will have been a great lesson. We have diligently prepared to address past mistakes and areas for improvement." He further pledged, "The Asian Games is always a tournament where we must aim for gold. That was our only focus. From today onward, during the remaining schedule, we will unite with the players and move forward with the sole goal of winning gold."

On this day, 14 domestic-based players gathered to begin training under Coach Lee Min-seong's team. They will continue their preparations until the 4th before disbanding, then reassemble on the morning of the 6th at Incheon International Airport and depart for Nagoya, Japan, the competition venue. Overseas-based players will join them locally in Japan. Without any additional evaluation matches, Lee Min-seong's team will face Qatar on the 15th and Saudi Arabia on the 22nd in Group D of the tournament. Group D consists of three teams, with the top two advancing to the quarterfinals to determine the champion.

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*This content was translated by AI.