{
  "id": 7245745,
  "title": "Swiss-based forward late to join nat'l football team, expected during group stage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/swiss-based-forward-late-to-join-natl-football-team-expected-during",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T04:57:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260914/swiss-based-forward-late-to-join-natl-football-team-expected-during-group-stage"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Swiss forward Lee Young-jun, 23, has been left out of the Korean national football team's squad for the Asian Games in Japan. Despite being called up by head coach Lee Min-sung, the Grasshopper player's club has not yet released him. Lee, who stands at 193 centimeters, is expected to be a crucial scorer for the Korean team as they aim for their fourth consecutive gold medal. According to a KFA official, Lee's inclusion in the squad is expected just before their second Group D match against Saudi Arabia on September 22. The delay is attributed to confusion between the KFA and Grasshopper following a recent leadership change at the Swiss club. Despite this, Lee Min-sung emphasized that the situation is not dire, but declined to provide further details, focusing instead on the rest of the team's preparations.",
  "summary": "In Korea's buildup to the men's football tournament at the Asian Games in central Japan this month, Grasshopper forward Lee Young-jun has been conspicuous by his absence. Lee, 23, was called up to the 23-man squad by head coach Lee Min-sung for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in July. But the player's Swiss club had not yet released the forward as of Monday, the eve of Korea's first Group D match…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "(Asiad) Swiss-based forward late to join nat'l football team, expected during group stage",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/asiad-swiss-based-forward-late-to-join-natl-football-team-expected",
        "published": "2026-09-14T03:54:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Swiss-based forward late to join nat'l football team, expected during group stage",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/swiss-based-forward-late-to-join-natl-football-team-expected-during-7247730",
        "published": "2026-09-14T05:07:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}