South Korea’s national team coach has criticised Bayern Munich’s handling of defender Kim Min-jae, who has been sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers.
The 28-year-old centre-back missed Bayern’s 1-1 draw against Union Berlin on Saturday and will be unavailable for South Korea’s 2026 qualifiers against Oman and Jordan. Bayern manager Vincent Kompany confirmed last week that Kim would be out for “several weeks.”
Ahead of South Korea’s home fixture against Oman on Thursday, coach Hong Myung-bo expressed frustration over Bayern’s approach to Kim’s fitness. “Munich failed to properly protect him in terms of injury prevention,” Hong told reporters, as quoted by Yonhap news agency.
Hong emphasised Kim’s importance to both club and country, but argued that Bayern had pushed him too hard. “Just because a match is important doesn’t mean he should have been on the pitch,” he said.
The South Korean coach also revealed that there had been continuous signs of Kim struggling with injuries since last year, and his staff had been fully aware of the issue.
South Korea, who have 69-cap Kim as a defensive mainstay, could secure their place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with wins over Oman and Jordan.
Kim joined Bayern from Italian champions Napoli in the summer of 2023 and has since made 73 appearances for the German club in all competitions.
