South Korea Coach Blames Bayern Munich For Kim Min-jae's Injury

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 doesnt 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.