Yun Suk-young not at camp due to club’s schedule

South Korean defender Yun Suk-young of the Queens Park Rangers was unable to report to the country’s pre-World Cup training camp as scheduled on Wednesday, owing to his English club’s upcoming match.

According to the Korea Football Association, Yun, who was named to South Korea’s 23-man roster for this year’s FIFA World Cup, had been set to report to the camp at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul, on Wednesday.

However, QPR, which has qualified for a promotion playoff final against Derby County in the second-tier Football League Championship for May 24, has not yet released the player.

The winner of the showdown will earn a promotion to the top-flight Premier League for next season. Yun, a 24-year-old defender, played in the two-leg playoff semifinals against Wigan, helping QPR to a 2-1 aggregate win.

FIFA recommends that players named to their respective nations’ World Cup rosters be rested from their club play between May 19 and 25, and KFA officials have asked QPR to release Yun based on that.

According to sources, QPR has declined. A KFA official said Ton du Chatinier, a Dutch coach on the Korean national team, has been in touch with a coach at QPR over Yun’s return, and that the two sides could reach some sort of a conclusion by Thursday. (Yonhap)