Lee Jae-sung speaks out about the pitch conditions of K-League stadiums

Lee Jae-sung asked for improvement, saying that the condition of the K-League stadium grass was so bad that it made European players hesitate to come back to Korea.

On the afternoon of the 24th, Coach Hong Myung-bo and Lee Jae-sung held a press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The following day, at 8 PM on the 25th, Korea will play the 8th match of Group B in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian 3rd qualifying round against Jordan at the same venue.

Lee Jae-sung is currently recording 3rd place in attack points on the team (1st Son Heung-min, 2nd Lee Kang-in) with 3 goals and 3 assists from the 2nd to 3rd qualifying rounds. His performance in the 3rd qualifying round was particularly good. If Lee Jae-sung survived, the team survived. He scored the first goal in the away game against Jordan, which was the most difficult match, and scored goals and assists at important moments. These were matches where his unique team play ability shone through, such as standing between the splendid attackers, connecting them, and winning the ball through forward pressure.

Lee Jae-sung not only promised a good game against Jordan, but also did not avoid questions about the grass, saying, “It’s worse than when I played in the K-League. Europeans may hesitate to return to the K-League.”

“After the last game, I took a short break to recover my body and mind. After coming back, I watched the video of the last game and talked to the coaching staff about what I need to improve on. I trained well on this for two days, and I will focus on this for the remaining training.”

“In fact, it’s such a shame to talk about the grass and the environment the day before a game. You could say it’s an excuse, but it definitely affects the performance. It’s true that the players are stressed. It should have been better than when I played in the K-League, but it’s sad that it’s worse. I can see the Seongnam training ground from my hotel, and it’s sad that K-League players are playing in such a bad environment. I cautiously express my opinion that European players may hesitate to return to the K-League. I know that many people are working hard on the environment, but I hope it gets better. It’s clear that we can make the fans happier when we do.”