[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Lee Young-pyo, a commentator, shared his thoughts on South Korea's loss to South Africa.
On the June 28 episode of KBS2's "Boss in the Mirror," Jun Hyun-moo and Lee Young-pyo, who handled the broadcast of the June 25 Group A match between South Korea and South Africa in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, revealed behind-the-scenes details.
South Korea lost 1-0 to South Africa that day and finished third in Group A. Lee, who met with Lee Kyung-kyu, Jung Ho-young, and Yang Joon-hyuk, spoke about the frustration he felt in the commentary booth.
Lee said, "Commentating is extremely hard when a team is losing." He added, "Today's match was one of the most difficult I've ever covered. From start to finish, there was not a single thing that went right."
He went on to say, "Because the match itself was bad from beginning to end, I could only say negative things, so I stayed silent." He added, "This was not a case of 'they fought well despite the loss'; the match itself was the problem."
Lee also drew attention during the broadcast when he shouted, "If you want to score, go to the center." It was his own take on a famous line, and Jun Hyun-moo said, "It may have sounded witty, but at the time he was really angry and slammed the desk."
Lee also said, "My voice may have sounded calm, but it was an expression of frustration. In a situation where I had to keep repeating negative things, it was hard to find the right words, and it was very difficult to keep responding."
They agreed that problems in the team's performance began after the 10-minute mark of the first half. Lee said, "The biggest problem was that it was a complete mess, impossible to pinpoint to just one thing." He added, "There was no structure and no purpose. It was a match in which the players did not seem to know why they were running on the pitch. I have been commentating for more than 10 years, and this was the hardest match to explain. It was difficult both to describe and to understand."
When asked how much responsibility the coach bore for the result, Lee said, "The coach's influence accounts for 50%."
Both commentators also said they were surprised by the news that Son Heung-min was left out of the starting lineup. Lee Kyung-kyu also said he saw Kim Min-jae visibly lose his temper when he was substituted.
As Lee Young-pyo described the disappointment felt by the public and football fans, Jun Hyun-moo said, "You can lose. If you show something and still lose, people can applaud your effort. But I don't even know what they were trying to do. The players are not to blame."
Lee then said, "I'm sorry. We should have won," offering an apology on behalf of the football community and drawing sympathy.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
