2024-03-15 06:20:00
Bae Jun-ho arrives at Elland Road ahead of the game once morest Leeds on the 6th. Photo = Stoke
It is highly likely that Bae Jun-ho, midfielder Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City in the English Football League (EFL) Championship (second division), will join the Olympic team (under-23, U-23) in March and once more in April. It is known that Olympic team coach Hwang Seon-hong visited the clubs following training camp in Turkiye last February and concluded discussions on selection. However, local fans who heard the news of Bae Jun-ho’s selection are reacting somewhat ‘angry’.
Stoke-on-Trent Live, which covers Stoke news, reported on the 15th (Korean time) regarding Bae Jun-ho’s selection for the Paris Olympic qualifiers. The media covered Stoke’s schedule and coach Steven Schumacher’s struggles in the second half of the year, and briefly covered the news regarding Bae Jun-ho’s selection at the end of the text.
What they paid attention to was whether Bae Jun-ho would be selected in April. Bae Jun-ho will join the Olympic team during the March international match period (18th to 26th) and participate in the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-23 Championship held in Saudi Arabia. This competition is the final test stage ahead of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup to be held in Doha, Qatar in April. The U-23 Asian Cup is also a competition that determines qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Olympic team must place in the top three at the U-23 Asian Cup to receive a ticket to the Olympics.
The problem is the timing of April. Since this period is not the international match period recognized by FIFA, it is not a mandatory call-up. This means that the club may refuse to be called up. For this reason, there were concerns that it would be difficult to recruit overseas players to the Olympic team, but the possibility of Bae Jun-ho participating not only in March but also in April opened up. This is because on the 11th, coach Hwang Seon-hong announced, “We have completed discussions with the club.”
Bae Jun-ho won the Stoke City Player of the Month award. Photo = Stoke City SNS
Bae Jun-ho scores the first goal in the game once morest Middlesboro on the 3rd. Photo = Stoke SNS
From the Olympic team’s perspective, it is nice to see Bae Jun-ho, an ‘overseas member,’ joining the team. It is said that Bae Jun-ho’s skills are continuing to grow, including winning the club’s Player of the Month award last month.
However, local media presented a different outlook upon the news of Bae Jun-ho’s selection. The media predicted, “Unless the situation in Stoke changes significantly, they will focus on the team instead of going to Qatar for the Olympic qualifiers.” In fact, Stoke is 19th in the league (41 points), and the gap with the relegation zone (22nd to 24th) is only 3. If Bae Jun-ho is missing in April, when the battle for rankings is in full swing, it will inevitably be a huge blow to Stoke.
Regarding Bae Jun-ho’s possibility of being called up in April, one fan argued, “If we are safe, we can go to the Olympic qualifiers, but if he is needed in the last three games, it is natural for him to help the team.”
In the report on Bae Jun-ho’s call-up published in the media just two days ago, one fan said, “Stoke is paying his wages. “If you want to play somewhere else, you shouldn’t expect Stoke to pay you,” he said.
Reporter Kim Woo-jung ujkim50@edaily.co.kr
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