# Cha Bum-geun, who joined Son Heung-min-Lee Kang-in Conflict, said, "The role of adults is important to resolve the conflict between generations well."


Former national soccer team coach Cha Bum-keun opened his mouth to the recent conflict between Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain). He stressed that the role of adults is important to resolve the conflict between generations well, and pointed out, "Lee Kang-in's parents and I must get a whirlwind."

Former coach Cha attended the 36th Cha Bum-keun Football Awards ceremony held at the HW Convention Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Tuesday. The Cha Bum-keun Football Awards, which started in 1988, is a youth soccer award that annually finds promising young Korean soccer players who have performed well.

After presenting the award to 18 soccer dreamers, former coach Cha said, "I want to talk heavily with parents who raise soccer players," expressing his thoughts on Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in's discord after the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup.

"I was proud to see many players enter Europe recently," he said. "I was worried a lot about resolving conflicts between generations experiencing different cultures, but the first priority was that I could step back and rest without thinking about actively educating (I came forward). It was a very shameful idea now that I think about it," he confessed.

"In Europe, there is an idea that everyone is colleagues without the concept of seniors, juniors, and adults, and it is not strange at all to strongly express his argument to the coaching staff," former coach Cha said. "Young players (who have lived in Europe) have no choice but to naturally learn and resemble the culture they have experienced." "Now, Korean soccer has faced an important period of time, which has added to the gap between generations along with the cultural differences between East and West," he stressed. "It is an atmosphere that cannot be easily understood, but the world is changing."

Former coach Cha, however, stressed that even a player who has lived in Europe for a long time should not lose his oriental value. "Young generations may think the humility and sacrifice emphasized in the East are tacky and useless, but this is a weapon and asset inherited by Koreans," he said. "It is also the reason why I and Park Ji-sung, who were successful in Europe, could be loved."

In an effort to emphasize modesty, Cha Du-ri, Cha's son and former national team coach, made his debut as a professional player in Bielefeld, Germany, after the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan. "Oto Rehagel, the coach who visited the stadium on the day, told Cha that he should not shut the door under any circumstances," Cha said. "Even a prestigious leader like Rehagel gave advice on personality rather than talking about how to play soccer well to (Cha)." Rehagel is the coach who led Greece to the top of the UEFA European Championship in 2004.

Former coach Cha said that parents and leaders' help is essential to ultimately resolve conflicts between generations. "It's not good for young children to lose their precious weapons," he said. "If children accidentally throw them away, adults next to them should pick them up and put them back in the child's hand."

"Lee Kang-in has been under fire in the world since the Asian Cup, and in fact, Lee Kang-in's parents and I have to get hit by the whip now," he said. "We have to seriously consider what adults should do." Former coach Cha also said, "In that sense, I'm glad Son Heung-min is the captain."

Rumors of Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in's feud erupted when the British media The Sun reported, "Son Heung-min suffered a dislocation of his finger during a physical fight with his teammate the day before the Asian Cup semifinals." Son Heung-min criticized young players, including Lee Kang-in, who was playing table tennis excessively after dinner the day before the semifinal, saying, "Be careful," and Lee Kang-in responded, causing a physical fight between the two. In the process, Son Heung-min suffered a dislocation of his finger.

On the day of the controversy, Lee Kang-in posted an apology on his SNS, but fans' sharp criticism against him did not abate. Lee Kang-in visited Son Heung-min in London and apologized, and the conflict between the two has been tentatively closed as Son Heung-min accepted it.

BY: [스포츠토토핫](https://www.sportstotohot.com)