Seoul police on Thursday raided a marketing company behind a controversy surrounding football star Cristiano Ronaldo's absence in a recent match.Seoul Suseo Police Station said they raided the office of TheFasta starting around 10 a.m. Thursday. Police are investigating charges of fraud against TheFasta, which organized an exhibition match between Ronaldo's Juventus and a team of K League All-Stars on July 26. On Monday, police placed one unidentified official involved in the controversy on trav

South Korean international stalwart Ji So-yun has agreed to an extension with Chelsea FC Women, committing to stay with the English club until 2022.Chelsea announced on its website on Wednesday (local time) that Ji, who joined the Blues in 2014, will be around for three more seasons.The 28-year-old midfielder has netted 56 goals in 136 appearances for Chelsea FC Women. Ji helped the club to the FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Cup titles in both 2015 and 2018.Last season, Ji scored nine ti

North Korea has expressed its intention to hold a World Cup qualifier with South Korea in Pyongyang, the South's football governing body said.According to the Korea Football Association on Friday, the North Korean football federation sent a document to the Asian Football Confederation saying it will host the match at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15. In a draw for the AFC second round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification held last month, South Korea and North Korea were p

South Korea's pro football governing body, the K League, on Thursday demanded Juventus FC apologize for breach of contract for benching Cristiano Ronaldo in an exhibition match in Seoul last week.Earlier this week, the K League sent a letter of protest to the Italian football club over its irresponsible conduct during the friendly held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Friday.The game between Juventus and the K League All-Stars ended in a 3-3 draw, but it caused angry reactions from South Korean fan

Jose Morais, the Portuguese football coach who guided the K League All-Star team in an exhibition match against Juventus FC last week, said Wednesday that Cristiano Ronaldo didn't play due to fatigue from a tight schedule. Some 63,000 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium went home Friday feeling disappointment and anger after Ronaldo failed to play in a 3-3 draw between Juventus and All-Stars from the South Korean pro football league. The non-appearance of 34-year-old Juventus forward caused a huge b

The CEO of TheFasta, the local agency in charge of the exhibition match between Juventus and South Korean league All-Stars team, said her Italian counterpart had apologized to the agency about Cristiano Ronaldo’s benching.During an interview with local media outlet Sports Seoul, Robin Jang, TheFasta’s CEO, said she was able to reach Juventus’ project manager on Saturday and received an apology. According to the newspaper’s reporting, Jang quoted the manager as s

Italian football champions Juventus breached an agreement when they benched superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in an exhibition match against South Korean league All-Stars, a local organizer of the match claimed Saturday.Some 63,000 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium went home disappointed Friday night, as Ronaldo did not play in a 3-3 draw between Juventus and K League All-Stars. TheFasta, the agency responsible for the event with Juventus, released a statement Saturday claiming that it didn't know about

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo landed at Incheon Airport on Friday afternoon. He will be leading Juventus in an exhibition match against the K League All-Star team, slated to take place at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Friday at 8 p.m.Hundreds of soccer fans waited at the airport to welcome the 34-year-old Portuguese player, who last visited Seoul in July 2007 for an exhibition match with Manchester United. By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

SINGAPORE (AFP) -- Harry Kane scored a stunning 93rd minute winner from the halfway line as Tottenham Hotspur edged Juventus 3-2 in an entertaining pre-season friendly in Singapore on Sunday.The England captain latched onto Lucas Moura's short pass and launched a first-time shot high over a scrambling substitute keeper Wojciech Szczesny as Spurs rallied past new manager Maurizio Sarri's Italian champions in front of a delighted National Stadium crowd. "It's probably one of the best goals of

KUALA LUMPUR -- South Korea will face North Korea in the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.In a draw held at the Asian Football Confederation House in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, South Korea and North Korea were paired in Group H, along with Lebanon, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka.Coached by Paulo Bento, South Korea are the top-ranked team in the group at No. 37, followed by Lebanon (86th), North Korea (122nd), Turkmenistan (135th) and Sri Lanka (201st).The second round will go on

Korean soccer star Lee Kang-in, 18, might have embarked on a new relationship, considering subtle moves he has made on Instagram in recent days. The guesswork has prompted some fans to call for an explanation from Lee. In an online community here, speculations surfaced that Lee could be dating a woman who is two years older than the teen prospect. The only purported evidence so far is that Lee’s official Instagram account started following a private account, believed to belong to the myste

South Korean football club Gyeongnam FC have cut ties with former Premier Leaguer Jordon Mutch.The K League 1 team said Sunday that they have terminated their one-year deal with the 27-year-old English midfielder, citing Mutch's failure to make an adequate transition on and off the field.Mutch, who previously played for Birmingham City, Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, signed with Gyeongnam in February. But he only played eight matches and netted one go

Global football icon Cristiano Ronaldo will lead Juventus in a summer exhibition match in Seoul.The K League, which governs professional football in South Korea, announced Wednesday its All-Star team will host the Italian Serie A champions at 8 p.m. on July 26 at Seoul World Cup Stadium.Ronaldo last visited South Korea in July 2007 for an exhibition match with Manchester United. Ronaldo scored one goal and set up two others to led Man United over FC Seoul 4-0 then. The 34-year-old Portuguese sta

South Korean football is at a fever pitch.The K League 1, the country‘s top pro football circuit, has enjoyed a 53.1 percent increase in average attendance compared to a year ago, data showed Tuesday.The K League said that through the first 16 matches this season, the 12 clubs have averaged 8,408 fans per game, compared to 5,492 fans per match after the same number of matches a year ago.Daegu FC have been the driving force. They have drawn 10,397 fans per match at DGB Daegu Bank Park, up f

Players and coaches of the South Korean men's under-20 football team were feted in front of fans in the nation's capital Monday for their unexpected run to second place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.Coached by Chung Jung-yong, South Korea reached the championship final of the biennial youth tournament for the first time. They lost to Ukraine 3-1 on Saturday, but they were still greeted warmly by hundreds of fans at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, earlier Monday. Later in the