Ahn Jung-hwan. [Yonhap]
Ahn Jung-hwan. [Yonhap]

Former national team footballer and broadcaster Ahn Jung-hwan, 50, has spoken out sharply against the controversy over Son Heung-min's early substitution in South Korea's match against Mexico.

The football entertainment program "Tikitiki Takataka Talkshow" posted a video Monday on TikTok under the title "Saying what needs to be said. Ahn-ka-cola."

In the video, Ahn analyzed South Korea's second Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Kim Nam-il, his former national team teammate.

The South Korean national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 1-0 to Mexico at Guadalajara Stadium on June 19. The most contentious moment after the defeat was the substitution of Son Heung-min, who started the match but was replaced by Oh Hyeon-gyu in the 57th minute.

After the final whistle, fans and some experts voiced criticism over the timing of the substitution, arguing that Son — a player capable of producing a decisive moment — was pulled too early while Korea was trailing 1-0.

Some suggested Son could have been repositioned as a wide attacker, while others said it was a regrettable decision to remove a clinical finisher so early in the second half.

Ahn pushed back against the criticism. "You can't just talk like that without thinking," he said, calling it "the last thing you should do." He added, "Regular football fans can say things like that, but it's strange to see nobodies making noise the way they do."

"I'm on the side of our national team, not on Hong Myung-bo's side," Ahn said. "But watching people try to grab attention — 'aggro' (provocative behavior aimed at drawing clicks) — with nonsense like that is truly disgusting. It looks terrible, and the players who hear those things get hurt too," he added.

Hong had earlier explained his reasoning for the substitution directly. Speaking through the KBS Sports YouTube channel "Ols," he said he felt the team needed to score and that bringing on a fresher player was the right call. "I wanted to at least equalize, so I made the substitution early," he said.

South Korea, who opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, now stand at one win and one loss in Group A after the defeat to host nation Mexico.

The team faces South Africa in their third group-stage match Thursday at 10 a.m.

The situation still favors South Korea. A draw against South Africa would likely be enough to finish second in the group, and even a loss could leave the door open for a third-place berth in the round of 32.

South Africa rank 61st in the FIFA real-time rankings, the lowest in Group A and 38 places below South Korea.

"It's the last match and we have to win to advance to the next round, so we must give everything we have," Hong said, signaling an all-out effort against South Africa.


min3654@heraldcorp.com