Men's Olympic football team wraps up camp amid pandemic-induced uncertainty

▲ Members of the South Korean men's Olympic football team (in red) are in action against Daejeon Hana Citizen in an exhibition match at Kang Chang-hak Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on Feb. 2, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Members of the South Korean men's Olympic football team train at Kang Chang-hak Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on Feb. 1, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ This photo provided by the Korea Football Association on Feb. 2, 2021, shows Kim Hak-bum, head coach of the South Korean men's Olympic football team. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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Men's Olympic football team wraps up camp amid pandemic-induced uncertainty

SEOGWIPO, South Korea, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean men's Olympic football team finished its training camp with a victory in an exhibition match Tuesday, not knowing whom it will next face in the lead-up to the Tokyo Summer Games.

Coached by Kim Hak-bum, the men's under-23 national team has been training since Jan. 11. Kim called up 26 players from the domestic K League and the J. League of Japan for his first camp of 2021. Players based in European leagues were not available because they were in the middle of their seasons, and they would have had to serve a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon landing in South Korea -- an untenable situation for a three-week camp.

Kim's team first trained for a week in Gangneung, some 230 kilometers east of Seoul, and then traveled south to Jeju Island for four exhibition matches against K League sides. The U-23 team beat the K League 2 club Daejeon Hana Citizen 6-1 in their last tuneup match Tuesday at Kang Chang-hak Stadium in the city of Seogwipo.

Earlier, South Korea had knocked down Pohang Steelers 3-1, Seongnam FC 4-0 and Suwon FC 2-1.

South Korea booked a spot at the Tokyo Olympics by winning the Asian qualifying tournament in January 2020. The Olympic Games were postponed by a year due to the coronavirus, and the global pandemic continues to wreak havoc on international sporting events.

Coach Kim said his next training camp will coincide with the March 22-30 FIFA international match window. However, Kim doesn't know if South Korea will even be able to play any pre-Olympic matches during that period.

Unless travel restrictions currently in place are lifted, playing at home or abroad will both be difficult for South Korea.

European clubs will still be in season in March, and they would certainly not want their South Korean players to go through 14-day quarantines. The K League season kicks off at the end of February and its clubs will likely not be available for exhibition matches against Kim's team.

Kim may once again have to call up only players from South Korean and Japanese leagues. He would then be robbed of an opportunity to get a closer look at Europe-based players, who will most likely form the core of the final 18-man Olympic roster.

An official with the KFA said the organization is exploring "all sorts of possibilities," including scheduling matches against other Tokyo-bound countries, either in South Korea or in other places.

Kim, for his part, said he will only worry about what he can control.

"There's nothing we can do about this," Kim said of the pandemic-induced uncertainty. "But every team is in the same situation, and so I am not too concerned."

The coach added that the players should keep battling once they rejoin their respective pro clubs.

"During camp, I think they must have learned their lessons on how to take care of themselves and how to compete in matches," Kim said. "Some players caught my eye, but no one is assured of a spot on the Olympic team. Only some internal competition can make us a better team."

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