Lee Chun-soo criticizes players' attitude: 'The World Cup is not a stage to be taken lightly'

Former South Korean national football player Lee Chun-soo has sharply criticized the team's performance and attitude in their recent World Cup qualifying match against South Africa. Lee, a member of the 2002 World Cup semi-final team, expressed frustration on his YouTube channel, stating that fans would not be so angry if the players had shown more effort.

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If you run hard, fans won't get this angry.

"I was so angry watching the match between Korea and South Africa," Lee said, joined by former national player Lee Keun-ho and ex-Gyeongnam FC coach Lee Eul-yong. South Korea lost the crucial match 0-1, jeopardizing their advancement to the next round. Lee pointed to a lack of fighting spirit, calling the play "unacceptable" and stating, "If you can't run, what game are you playing?" He added that the World Cup is "not a stage to be taken lightly."

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I was so angry watching the match between Korea and South Africa.

Lee described his disappointment at how easily opponents seemed to get past Korean players. "If there was a player in front of me, I would have grabbed their jersey or tripped them," he said, emphasizing that the issue was not isolated to one or two players.

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If you can't run, what game are you playing? The match itself was not happening.

Lee Keun-ho agreed, stating that "how we advance is as important as advancing." He lamented the lack of memorable moments or any discernible strategy in the team's play. Lee Eul-yong also called for the players to reflect on their performance. Lee Chun-soo concluded by saying that while fans might tolerate a loss if the team fought hard, the lack of effort was disheartening. "Fighting and battling until the end is what sports and football are about, and there was a lack of that," he said.

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The World Cup is not a stage to be taken lightly.