Nat'l football team stars claim differences now behind them

The five members of the national men's football team caught in a rift controversy announced Thursday they have put their differences behind them and are now ready to lead a new generation of players by example. Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom and Kim Min-jae issued a joint statement through the Korea Football Association (KFA) during their training camp in Doha, where the national team has been training since Tuesday to prepare for two upcoming friendly matches. The Taegeuk Warriors will face Saudi Arabia on Friday in Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha, and Qatar next Tuesday at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. These five players have been called up for the national team amid rumors of friction in the locker room. Son, the longtime captain, and Lee are part of the leadership group at age 34. The two Hwangs and Kim, colloquially called the "1996 group" for their birth year, reportedly offered to retire from international play following Korea's friendly against Uzbekistan on Oct. 5 in apparent frustration with the older players. Some t