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| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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It has been revealed that Choi Kang-hee, the Shandong Taishan coach, has recently been receiving knee treatment since returning home.
Shandong said in a statement on the 8th that `Coach Choi returned home for treatment due to a recurrence of knee injury. The club has consistently expressed concerns about his health and has actively contacted several prestigious hospitals in China for medical assistance. I wish Choi a speedy recovery.' Since Choi was unable to direct the team while undergoing treatment, Shandong decided to form an interim coach team to be responsible for team training and matches in the second half of the year, it added.
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| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Shandong is ranked 5th after Beijing Guoan (38 points, goal difference +22 points), Shanghai Shenhua (38 points, goal difference +20), Chengdu Longcheng (34 points, goal difference +19) and Shanghai Hai River (34 points, goal difference +16 points) with 25 points as of the 2025 Chinese Super League. Amid the gap with the top ranks, the gap with No. 10 Zhejiang FC (20 points), the second-ranked group Maginot Line, is not large. The past five games have been two wins, two draws and one loss, and two consecutive games have been undefeated (1 win and 1 draw). The league schedule has turned a halfway point, but it is still not at the stage to abandon its dream of jumping to the top. Despite this, local media cite Choi's leadership as the reason for the poor Shandong performance.
Coach Choi reportedly applied for a vacation and returned home when the league schedule entered a break due to the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (hereinafter referred to as the East Asian Cup) in 2025. However, since then, rumors of Choi's dismissal have been raised, mainly by local media in China. The reason was that Choi has not actively used young players and has revealed problems with the team's coaching methods in recent years. After the vacation, contact between Choi and the club was lost. Some argued that if you want to quit, you can say you want to quit.
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| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Conflicts with Chinese media, which fester after entering China in 2018, appear to have exploded. When Choi mentioned at the press conference that the opposing team's coach ran in front of him and made a goal ceremony, an absurd question was asked "Is it right to criticize the opponent?" Since then, whenever Choi talked about biased judgment and injury problems, substandard questions have been asked, and the next day, voices such as 'Can't lead the team properly', 'Older', and 'Can't raise young players' have erupted. Chinese soccer journalist Song Cheng-liang said on his SNS page that a Korean leader should never be appointed as the national team coach under any circumstances. They have a strong tendency to collective selfishness and pursue private interests, and their skills are not particularly good. It is an article left in a space where personal thoughts are revealed, but it is a sharp reaction that can be read as personal aggression. Another media outlet said it is unacceptable to appoint a South Korean coach to the Chinese national team. This is an example of how Korean leaders, including Choi, are viewed in China.
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| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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It is known that the contract period between Choi and Shandong is until this year. However, it seems unclear whether Choi will return to Shandong after completing treatment due to the current atmosphere.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
