| Paulo Bento national football team manager. Provided by the Korea Football Association |
Coach Paulo Bento of the national football team will check the domestic side once more before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
According to an official from the Korea Football Association on the 24th, the national team plans to convene players and play an evaluation match in Korea before the announcement of the final entry for the Qatar World Cup. The International Football Federation (FIFA) had to submit 26 final entries by November 14, but the national team plans to call the players ahead of this to test and confirm the final entries.
It is expected that the convening target will be composed mainly of domestic groups. FIFA allowed players to convene on November 14, a week before the opening of the World Cup in Qatar (November 21), but most European professional football is scheduled until the 13th. So, Bento is expected to summon players from the domestic K-League, which ends in October, and the Japanese J-League, which ends on November 5. Since the Chinese Super League has to complete the schedule until December, it is impossible to convene before November 14.
Usually, domestic and Japanese players do not have many opportunities when convening an A match. This is because in the World Cup qualifiers, all-out battles are held to produce results, and in the evaluation match, organizational skills are checked centered on European players. Therefore, the East Asian Football Confederation (EAFF) E-1 Championship, which is convened mainly by domestic players and excluding Europeans, is a rare opportunity to appeal to the manager.
But seizing the opportunity is not easy. The national team defeated China and Hong Kong 3-0 each at the E-1 Championship in July, but suffered a devastating 0-3 defeat to Japan. Because of this, the domestic group might not raise their heads, and coach Bento publicly expressed his disappointment. So, except for the existing members, only Jo Young-wook, Yoon Jong-gyu (above FC Seoul), and Jo Yu-min (Daejeon Hana Citizen) have boarded the national team once more following the E-1 Championship.
Even if he is named to the national team once more following July, he cannot be relieved. Among the domestic players, only the best 11 ranks Kim Jin-soo and Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan Hyundai), and Hong-cheol (Daegu FC) are the only ones who are sure to qualify for the Qatar World Cup final entry. If you are careless and your performance deteriorates, you may be excluded. In particular, Eom Won-sang (Ulsan), who was not convened in September due to injury, is working hard to reboard.
The opponent before the evaluation, and the place and date of the match are undecided. However, as it is before the Qatar World Cup, it is expected that it will be impossible to invite the finalists. In addition, it is difficult for the opponent to assemble an elite member because it is not possible to convene a European group.
Reporter Heo Jong-ho