The East Stand | Kim Min-jae outrage shows Chinese football’s thin skin
- South Korean still being criticised after comments about Beijing Guoan teammates and the level of Chinese Super League
- Club’s fans drowned out by nationalist sentiment and online outrage against defender
Footballers putting their feet in their mouths is nothing new. Perhaps not as old as the game itself, either in England’s public schools or in Ancient China but no surprise.
There is one area that footballers tend to distance themselves from, though – publicly criticising teammates. Behind closed doors, sure, and such feedback has been cited as vital to title-winning teams, but not in public.
Even the walking ego that is Cristiano Ronaldo backtracked when it seemed he had publicly called out his Real Madrid teammates after a 1-0 loss at home to city rivals Atletico.
“If everyone was at my level, perhaps we would be first,” Ronaldo told Cope radio, but he was quick to change his tune to say that he meant physically.
“I meant the physical level, I am no better than anyone else,” Ronaldo told Madrid-based Marca newspaper afterwards. “When I say that I mean the physical level, not in the game. I am not better than any of my teammates.”
