(Reuters) – Midfielder Hwang In-beom says South Korea will make their country proud when they make their 11th appearance at the World Cup finals in Qatar this year.
The 26-year-old Hwang remembers the 2002 World Cup in his home country, when South Korea eliminated Italy in the round of 16, which inspired him to become a soccer player.
“I know a lot of our fans are biting their nails, but that stems from the high expectations they have for us. We want to play the type of football they can be proud of,” Hwang told the FIFA website.
“We will have at least three matches, so that is a minimum of 270 minutes of football. I can promise our supporters we will not lose our focus for one single minute. I hope our fans get behind us.
“We won’t let you down.”
The Olympiakos player will make his debut at the tournament for the “Taegeuk Warriors” and says the team are more united now under Portuguese coach Paulo Bento.
“After four years under one coach, the players now understand each other very well. We are very organised as a unit, and there is a sense of togetherness and camaraderie within the squad,” Hwang said.
“Ultimately, it is up to us, the players, to come up with the goods so that coaches are given enough time to build a team. The players, not the coach, should generate the results.
“If we perform well, then fans will put their faith in our coach, and that leads to a much better national team.”
South Korea kick off their World Cup campaign in Group H against Uruguay on Nov. 24 before facing Ghana and Portugal.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
