Bayern Munich came in for criticism from the South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo after Kim Min-Jae withdrew from the team of his country.
Kim has withdrawn from the team of Zuid -Korea for their upcoming world cup qualifications against Oman and Jordan due to an Achilles problem.
Hong, however, believes that Bayern's perseverance in playing Kim has made the injury worse.
The defender did not make a Bundesliga appearance in March, but did play in both legs of Bayern's Champions League Last-16 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
“Unfortunately, Bayern Munich did not protect the player well to prevent injuries, so we ended up in a situation in which we have to play these important games without an important player,” a frustrated Hong told reporters.
“Only because a competition is important does not mean that it is correct to have Kim on the field. There have been warning signals since last year and we were fully aware of it.
“We could not keep Kim Min-Jae close to these important games because it would be contrary to our principles to protect players. So we made the decision to let him rest.”
“He has problems with his Achilles, who was already known. It is now about managing his workload. We must ensure that we do not work it over. Hopefully it is not that worrying.” #Fcbayern #miasanmia | #Fcufcb pic.twitter.com/duqjwbdecb
– FC Bayern (@fcbayernen) March 14, 2025
In anticipation of Bayern with Union Berlin last week, Vincent Kompany said reporters: “[Kim] Has problems with his Achilles, who was already known. It is now about managing his workload.
“We must ensure that we do not work it over. Hopefully it is not that worrying.”
Kim has made 37 performances in all competitions for Bayern, with all those starts.
The former Napoli center-back leads the defense of Bayern for approvals (115), main exhibitions (65), duels won (176, level with Dayot Upamecano), Aerial Duels (169) and Aerial Duels won (112).
Only Upamecano tried to have won (59) or more tackles than Kim (54 and 32 respectively) among his defensive teammates, while the 28-year-old also leads the way for interceptions, with 56.
Bayern returns to action after the international break when they compete against FC St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on March 29.
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