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(London Olympic Joint Press Corps) |
CARDIFF, Britain -- Ahead of the latest grudge football match between Korea and Japan at the London Olympics, Korean head coach Hong Myung-bo said Thursday his focus is solely on the action on the pitch.
The two regional rivals will clash in the men's football bronze medal contest at Millennium Stadium here Friday evening.
Korea is seeking its first Olympic football medal, while Japan is after its second Olympic medal after the Mexico City bronze in 1968.
At a press conference Thursday, Hong said he wants to steer clear of other distractions.
"Right now, I don't want to worry about anything else but the match at hand," the coach said. "It's not often that these two countries meet for a match of this magnitude internationally. We want to do our best and leave with no regrets."
Any Korea-Japan sporting showdown is wrought with historical implications. Japan ruled Korea as a colony from 1910 to 1945, and the two have frequently clashed over historical issues related to Japan's wartime atrocities.
Hong said the historical backdrop to the rivalry is the last thing on his mind.
"Our priority is to try not to disappoint fans that have been behind us," the coach said. "Sure, there's the history factor between the two countries, but I don't want to worry about that."
Aside from history, Hong's players will likely have another issue on their mind. Winning an Olympic medal will grant them exemptions from the mandatory military service. Bypassing two years in the armed forces will essentially set players for their career, because they won't have any disruption to playing days in their prime years and they may also have opportunities to sign lucrative, long-term contracts with foreign clubs.
Hong stressed that gaining the military exemption "isn't the most important thing."
"Obviously, we have to win the game to get the players exempted," Hong said. "The game is the most important thing for us Friday."
Korea upset Britain in the quarters, beating the Olympic host in penalty shootout. But it ran into Brazil in the semis and was overwhelmed in the 3-0 defeat. Japan fell to Mexico 3-1 to drop into the bronze medal match.
Korean players echoed their coach's sentiment, saying they don't want to be sidetracked by off-field issues.
"We've all agreed we shouldn't even bring up the whole military issue before the game," said defensive back Kim Young-gwon. "Japan is not a team to be taken lightly and we have to stay mentally tough."
Hwang Seok-ho, another defender, said he was wary of Japan's "sleek passing game" but added, "If we can stick to our game plan, we can beat them."
Kim Bo-kyung, a midfielder recently moved from Cerezo Osaka of Japan to Cardiff City in the second-division English league, said the players want to end their Olympics on a winning note.
"Making it this far has been gratifying, but winning a medal will be even better," Kim said. "We know people have high expectations for this bronze medal match. We will try to have a good finish."
(Yonhap News)
