Even after following all social distancing measures and health protocols, the game between Mexico and South Korea came close to being canceled. The reason? Six South Korean players and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19 24 hours before kickoff.
According to reports by journalist Steve Han, Kwon Chang-hoon, Hwang In-beom, Lee Dong-jun, and Cho Hyeon-woo tested positive for the disease on Friday, along with one staff member. This caused the Korean FA to test the rest of the team to take the necessary measures, and after the tests were run, right back Kim Moon-hwan and striker Na Sang-ho were confirmed as positives. Apparently, none of the players have shown any major symptoms for the disease.
Once the story broke out, the possibility of canceling the game was considered by both football associations. Nevertheless, the Korean FA stepped up to confirm that the game will go on as planned even after this surge of cases. Moreover, the Taeguk Warriors' press team went on to reveal how the players were infected.
Since the Korean team still has eighteen available players for this game, the decision was made to keep on with the game as planned. Nevertheless, the decision was heavily criticized by fans and football experts on social media.
Now, the main thing for the Korean FA execs will be to determine how to get their players out of Austria. Four of the players that tested positive play for Korean teams, one more plays for Rubin Kazan, and the other one plays for Freiburg SC.
