FIFA Updates

SEOUL, July 25 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Lee Chung-yong has
not considered leaving English Premier League club Bolton
Wanderers to cash in on his impressive World Cup campaign but
would like to play in the Champions League one day. The
22-year-old midfielder scored twice for his country as they
reached the World Cup second round for the first time on
foreign soil in South Africa and has been linked with a move
across Lancashire as part of Liverpool’s rebuilding programme.

“There’s still much for me to learn in Bolton, so I haven’t
given any serious thought to the matter of a transfer,” he told
the Yonhap news agency before leaving for England on Sunday.

Lee’s flair and five goals made him a firm favourite in the
first season of his three-year deal with Bolton but the winger
said he would like to play for a bigger club eventually.

“As I do my best to work with what’s given to me, chances
will come and I will take them,” he added.

“Money is important, and it’d be good to play for a big
team like one in the Champions League, but most of all I want
to go where I can develop myself.”
(Writing by Nick Mulvenney in Beijing; Editing by Peter
Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

SEOUL, July 25 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Lee Chung-yong has
not considered leaving English Premier League club Bolton
Wanderers to cash in on his impressive World Cup campaign but
would like to play in the Champions League one day. The
22-year-old midfielder scored twice for his country as they
reached the World Cup second round for the first time on
foreign soil in South Africa and has been linked with a move
across Lancashire as part of Liverpool’s rebuilding programme.

“There’s still much for me to learn in Bolton, so I haven’t
given any serious thought to the matter of a transfer,” he told
the Yonhap news agency before leaving for England on Sunday.

Lee’s flair and five goals made him a firm favourite in the
first season of his three-year deal with Bolton but the winger
said he would like to play for a bigger club eventually.

“As I do my best to work with what’s given to me, chances
will come and I will take them,” he added.

“Money is important, and it’d be good to play for a big
team like one in the Champions League, but most of all I want
to go where I can develop myself.”
(Writing by Nick Mulvenney in Beijing; Editing by Peter
Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

SINGAPORE, July 24 (Reuters) – South Korean World Cup
goalscorer Lee Jung-soo has signed a three-year contract to
play for Qatar’s Al Sadd, the club said on its website
(www.al-saddclub.com).

The 30-year-old defender, who scored two goals for his
country as they reached the World Cup second round last month,
will move to the Arabian Gulf after just six months at Japanese
club Kashima Antlers.

The pacey centre back played for Anyang, FC Seoul, Incheon
and Suwon in South Korea before moving to J-League side Kyoto
and then on to Kashima earlier this year.

(Writing by Nick Mulvenney in Beijing, editing by Greg
Stutchbury; To query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

SEOUL, July 21 (Reuters) – Cho Kwang-rae has been appointed
coach of the South Korean national soccer team, the Korean
Football Association (KFA) said on Wednesday.

Gyeongnam FC boss Cho replaces Huh Jung-moo, who stepped
down after guiding the Asian side to the second round of the
World Cup finals in South Africa last month.

“We had been looking into two or three candidates,
including Cho, and the technical panel unanimously opted to
select Cho as the next national team coach,” chairman of the
KFA’s technical committee Lee Hoi-taek told the Yonhap News
agency.

“Cho is enterprising and always trying to catch new trends
of world football like England, Germany, Italy and Brazil.”

The former South Korean midfielder’s first match in charge
will be the home friendly against Nigeria on Aug. 11.

“It’s a great honour to be the national team coach,” Cho,
56, said.

“I’m not scared of taking the helm of the national team.
I’ve been working hard to be a good leader. I want to make a
team that will bring joy to the Korean people.”

Cho’s first major task will be to win the Asian Cup in
Qatar, which begins in January.

The twice champions have been drawn with Australia, Bahrain
and India in Group C of the 16-team tournament.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by Peter
Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)