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Tottenham star Son Heung-min got injured in 'furious ping pong bust-up' with team-mate

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min was involved in a furious row with some of his South Korea team-mates on the eve of their shock Asia Cup defeat by Jordan, it's been claimed

[Son Heung-min of South Korea]

Son Heung-min suffered a hand injury in the reported clash(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tottenham star Son Heung-min reportedly dislocated his finger in a heated ping pong row with a South Korea team-mate.

Jurgen Klinsmanns side were disappointingly dumped out of the Asia Cup at the semi-final stage by Jordan last week. The shock 2-0 defeat saw calls for Klinsmann to be sacked.

But it seems there was trouble brewing within the squad on the eve of the match. Son is claimed to have had a bust-up with some of the younger players, including PSG star Lee Kang-in, over their disrespectful behaviour at a team meal.

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According to The Sun, he was angry that they'd eaten their food quickly so they could leave and play ping pong. Son raised the issue with them, which is when a row broke out.

It soon escalated into a physical altercation. Reports in Korea, via The Mirror, have since added that Son grabbed Lee by the collar, with the youngster responding by swinging a fist at him which missed.

The Spurs winger didn't escape unharmed, however, dislocating his finger as other members of the squad broke up their scuffle. Klinsmann later refused to drop Lee, going against the wishes of senior players.

Have you ever had a row over ping pong? Let us know in the comments section below

[Son Heung-minof South Korea celebrates his goal with Lee Kang-in ]

Son is said to have confronted team-mate Lee Kang-in for his behaviour(Image: Getty Images)

He started alongside Son, who played the game with tape wrapped around his index and middle right-hand fingers. And he was still wearing it when he made his Tottenham return at the weekend, coming off the bench to set up the winner in their 2-1 victory against Brighton.

Son made no mention of the internal team troubles after Korea's exit from their continental tournament, instead standing up in defence of his team-mates. "I don't know what to say really," he said.

[Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-Min during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 10, 2024]

The dislocated finger was still taped up at the weekend(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)

"I am so sorry. The players did their best. I'm very sorry that the game ended like this by mistakes. The fans showed us great support, I'm sorry we could not deliver as our fans expected."

Klinsmann has taken most criticism for the result, even attracting several politicians into the debate about his future as the coach. His defensive strategies and refusal to relocate to South Korea from the USA haven't been deemed favourable.

However, the 59-year-old is far from tendering his resignation. "I'm not planning to do anything," he insisted. "I'm planning to analyse this tournament, to go with the team back to Korea and then talk to the federation about what was good and what was not so good in that tournament."

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