Uruguayan midfielder Kevin Mendes joined the Korean K2 League in February this year, and just five months later, the player terminated his contract and returned to South America to join the Chilean club Lacarella United. Kevin Mendes talked about this disappointing experience in an interview with The Ass.
Talking about joining the Korean team
"What prompted me to go to South Korea was economic factors. I knew nothing about the local market and did not understand how they operated. The result was a disappointing experience."
What did you experience in South Korea?
"The team has a total of 54 players, a coach who has not completed the coaching course, and a very authoritarian club chairman and general manager. They often interfere with the team's tactical arrangements and tell the coach what to do and what not to do. The overall structure of the club does not meet the standards of a professional team."
Special talk?
"I have some teammates from college teams, and the newly signed players from college. Sometimes, some players are arranged to play back and then suddenly be transferred to play forward or winger. They don't care about losing, they don't care at all. For them, it's just a job, and they go to and from get off work on time."
Football is really a completely different sport...
"It's a completely different world because I'm lucky to play football in different countries, and each place has its own unique style and characteristics. But overall, football is similar all over the world. Regardless of culture, some countries are more fanatical about football, but very different in South Korea. Another thing that surprised me was that their training methods were closely related to military training, so it was really hard. Honestly, it was a very bad experience."
When did I decide to leave?
"I signed a contract for only one year, but five months later I started discussing with the agent to leave. I had a meeting with the club chairman and general manager after a game. At that time, they brought us foreign players to a conference room and began to tell us that it was our fault for the team to perform poorly. They invested so much money on us, but things did not develop in a good direction. So I stood up and told them that this accusation was unfair, because we are a team, and everyone has a responsibility, this is not tennis, and one person cannot decide the outcome."
How did the other party answer?
"I had a debate with the club president and I asked him, have you ever seen Van Dijk go play for the striker? He said he didn't know the player. I said, 'Well, if you don't even know Van Dijk, then we have nothing to say in football.' Then we started arguing, they were used to imposing their opinions on the other side in a way that was arbitrary, so our relationship broke down and they were not used to someone who opposed their ideas and thought I was about him We are disrespectful, and since then, I can no longer play for the team. "
Talking about local culture
"The culture there is also very closed and the eating habits are strange because they eat almost everything, but they can find some more normal food in the supermarket. Restaurants are closed at 8 pm, and their lifestyle is quite special. But this is not to say it is better or worse, it is just a difference. Sometimes this difference can make people feel a big impact."