{
  "id": 19592343,
  "title": "Nat'l football team looking to turn page in friendly vs. Saudi Arabia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/natl-football-team-looking-to-turn-page-in-friendly-vs-saudi-arabia-19592343",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-12T03:27:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20261112/natl-football-team-looking-to-turn-page-in-friendly-vs-saudi-arabia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Following a recent conflict, Korea's national football team aims to move forward as they prepare to face Saudi Arabia in a friendly match this week during their visit to Qatar. Head coach Robert Moreno will guide the team, which currently holds a world ranking of 32, against Saudi Arabia, who are ranked 55th. The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday (11:30 p.m. in Korea) at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, located west of Doha.\n\nKorea will subsequently clash with Qatar in Doha on Tuesday. This match marks the team's first appearance since their 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan on October 6. Following that game, three players – Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan, and Kim Min-jae – reportedly expressed their intention to retire from international play due to frustration with the team's leadership, which is headed by longtime captain Son Heung-min. The issue of discord persisted for weeks, but recently, the five affected players issued a joint statement declaring their reconciliation and readiness to focus on delivering satisfactory performances to loyal fans. The Korea Football Association (KFA) had initially planned for the two friendly matches in November.",
  "summary": "The men's national football team will try to turn the page from a recent rift as they take on Saudi Arabia this week in the first of two friendly matches in Qatar. With the temporary head coach Robert Moreno in charge, world No. 32 Korea will play 55th-ranked Saudi Arabia at 5:30 p.m. Friday (11:30 p.m. Friday in Korea) at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha. Korea will next…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Nat'l football team stars claim differences now behind them",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/natl-football-team-stars-claim-differences-now-behind-them-19580412",
        "published": "2026-11-12T00:31:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}