South Korea football team hit with delays at Asian Games due transport issues

NAGOYA - Defending Asian Games men's football champions South Korea were late for a training session on Sept 16 after the bus did not show up at the team hotel, media reports said.

The Koreans, who beat Qatar 4-1 in their Group D opener at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Sept 15, arrived 20 minutes late for their recovery session in Nagoya the following day after officials scrambled to find a replacement bus.

Reuters has contacted organisers for comment.

The transport mishap came after the bus carrying the team to the Sept 15 match took them to a baseball ground instead of the Mizuho Rugby Stadium. They reached the stadium 30 minutes after the scheduled arrival time.

A Korea Football Association official said several teams were facing transport issues, Yonhap News reported.

"Minor issues regarding vehicle scheduling and operations have been continuously arising during every training session and official event throughout the tournament," the official said.

"This is a situation that all teams currently participating in the tournament are facing, not just us."

South Korea will play Saudi Arabia in their final group game on Sept 22. REUTERS