The South Korean national soccer team was tested for doping ahead of an important match against Iraq.스포츠토토
Led by coach Hong Myung-bo, the team conducted its last training session at Mir Stadium in Yongin on Monday afternoon, one day before the fourth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Iraq. The training session was originally scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Thursday. Coach Hong and other support staff showed up on time.
However, the athletes failed to do so. Korea Anti-Doping Agency suddenly visited Mir Stadium and conducted doping tests. The test was conducted on eight athletes. Some athletes had to undergo additional tests after training because they failed to meet the urine volume requested by KADA. Eventually, all 26 members of the national team gathered at the ground and started training after 4:40 p.m.
According to the Korea Football Association, doping tests that are conducted suddenly without prior notice are very unusual. "When the national team led by Coach Hong visited Greece for an away exhibition match ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a surprise doping test was conducted at their accommodation early in the morning," a KFA source said. "It seems to be the first time such an unexpected test has been conducted since then."
KADA conducts testing on professional sports players in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the global standard for doping tests. The testing usually takes place right after a match, but it is also conducted outside the match on the same day. "As far as I know, KADA's basic protocols are made without prior notice. I was informed about an hour before the start of the training," a KADA official said. "It is true that I am concerned about whether tomorrow's game will be affected due to disruptions in training."
"I had conversations with the Korea Football Association. However, I thought it would be difficult to achieve realistic goals," Iraqi coach Jesús Casas told a news conference. "For me, the conversation with the Korea Football Association was a good test. We also talked about players and styles of the national team," he said. "I understand that the coach who is currently leading the Korean national team has been selected after going through a good test process."
Casas, who has led the Iraqi national team since 2022, was mentioned as a candidate in the process of appointing the Korean head coach this year. Since the dismissal of German coach Jurgen Klinsmann in February, his name has been mentioned as one of the candidates that the Korea Football Association contacted in the process of finding a new head coach. The association, which later contacted several foreign candidates, appointed Hong Myung-bo in July.