Germany national soccer team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann has extended his support to Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City), who is under police investigation for illegal filming, and wishes him well for his club and national team.

Klinsmann and the Korean national soccer team, who won their second qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America, returned home through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 22nd.

Except for nine Europeans, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who returned home via a chartered flight earlier in the day, and Cho Kyu-sung (Meatwillan) and Hwang Eui-jo, who returned to their respective clubs in China, the 11 players left the airport amid cheers from fans.

The Koreans had won their first Group C match 5-0 at home against Singapore at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sept. 16, followed by a 3-0 victory over China in their second match away at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Guangdong, China, the day before.

It was the fifth consecutive win in A matches for Klinsmann’s men, who started their second qualifying campaign on a high note.

“I’m very happy with the game,” Klinsmann said on his return home. We kept a clean sheet and earned six points,” he said, adding that the Chinese fans gave us great hospitality.

With Hwang Ui-jo being investigated by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department’s Cyber Investigation Unit as a suspect in a case of illegal filming, questions centered on the background of Hwang’s inclusion and the possibility of his future departure.

Klinsmann substituted Hwang in the 27th minute of the previous match for Cho Kyu-sung.

He said in the post-match press conference that he would continue to use Hwang Ui-jo in the national team as he had not been proven guilty of any crime, and he made the same statement upon arrival.

“He’s one of our players,” Klinsmann said, before adding that “there’s nothing that’s been said or proven yet.”

“I’ve seen a lot of things in my 40 years of soccer,” Klinsmann said, “but I also want to say that Hwang is a good player with a lot of attributes.”

He also expressed his intention to send Hwang to the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.

“He’s got to prepare for the Asian Cup, and hopefully he can go back to Norwich and score a lot of goals and be in top form. Hopefully, he’ll be able to make a big impact for the national team.”

Klinsmann was quick to point out that he had “no conversations about the ongoing controversy” with Hwang Ui-Jo, who was questioned by police after staying overnight during the national team’s training camp on Aug. 18.

Instead, he said he spoke to him about “hopefully scoring more goals at Norwich to help the team do well at the Asian Cup.”

After finishing the second round of World Cup qualifiers with eight clean sheets, Klinsmann will immediately leave for the United States on Nov. 23 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” Klinsmann said. I will go to the United States for a while to spend ‘American Thanksgiving’ with my family,” he said.

He will then return to Korea to watch the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 final match between Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai on March 3.

“After I go to the U.S., I’ll be watching Ulsan and Jeonbuk in about two weeks,” Klinsmann said, “and then we’ll start preparing for the Asian Cup in earnest.”

As for the upcoming Asian Cup, he says, “The highs can come at any time. We don’t know when or how it will happen, just like Argentina’s unexpected upset of Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,” he said.

“We could get knocked out in the round of 16, or we could get on a good run and make it all the way to the final,” he said, adding, “We’re not going to let our guard down and underestimate any team.”

“I’ve been to a lot of tournaments and I enjoy it,” said Klinsmann, who added that they need to be well prepared, both mentally and physically.

“It was a good experience for a lot of players and for us as a team,” he said of playing in China in front of a stadium full of local fans.

While in China, the team also wished a speedy return home for Son Jun-ho, who was detained by Chinese police.

“I’m hoping that good news about him will come like an early Christmas present,” Klinsmann said. “I hope that the Chinese government will step up to the plate and bring him back to his family as soon as possible, because the exact charges against him are still unclear.” 토토사이트