The aftermath of the Palestinian match created an emotional battle between the player and the fan, who always looked at the same place.
The Red Devil, an official supporter of the Korean national soccer team, expressed his position on having a friction with Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). They said on their official social networking service (SNS), “I have been with the players since the birth of the Red Devil until now, and I have not cheered at any moment ‘hopefully not’ or ‘hopefully lose’.
Kim Min-jae visited the red devil’s cheering seat after drawing 0-0 with Palestine in the first Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th.
According to the video clip, Kim approached the front of the supporters’ seats with a firm look on his face and raised both hands to ask for restraint. Without stopping, he shouted, “Please support the players only. I beg of you.”
Kim didn’t even greet the Red Devils. The entire team went around the stadium to express their gratitude to the audience. Under the command of captain Son Heung-min, all of the players bowed their heads and thanked him, but Kim just nodded at the end as he stared. The controversy arose even more as Kim bowed his head except for the stand where the Red Devils were located.
Kim Min-jae told reporters, “Everyone takes it seriously. I told them that I would like them to support the players,” adding, “There are people who distort this part and come to my SNS. I said it because I was a little disappointed because I wanted to do it badly. I didn’t speak aggressively at all.”
Despite the explanation that the booing of the Seoul World Cup Stadium even before the game was directed at the Korea Football Association and Hong Myung-bo, the coach’s appointment process was unclear, Kim Min-jae said, “I’m sorry to hear those things even before the start,” adding, “If you feel bad about the behavior you’ve visited your fans, you can look at it like that. However, I just want to say that it was not that intention at all. Of course, the players should have done well, but I’m sorry that I couldn’t, and I’ll do my best in the next game and win.”
The tension between the two sides did not diminish despite Kim’s explanation. “Kim Min-jae came to the home cheering section and left a short message saying, ‘Please support us.’ There was no war of words between us and Kim Min-jae, who desperately wanted to win, seemed to be disappointed and misunderstood. However, the method and place of expression are very disappointing.”
The Red Devils booed Coach Hong Myung-bo and the 먹튀검증 Korea Football Association (KFA). “I cried and laughed for 90 minutes behind the N-seat goalposts in the stadium, thinking that players who are the essence and reason of existence of the Red Devils should be cheering for them,” they said.
“Our booing and protesting were against the Korea Football Association, which is consistent with lies, and the coach who has lost his faith himself. Considering the genuine players and the people, the Korea Football Association should respond,” he stressed.