Someone from Iraq made the following observations in Arabic about the Japanese and South Korean teams at the current AFC Asia Cup 2024 tournament, and I couldn't agree more, as I have been personally observing these things. His post was in Arabic, and I just used Google translate for those who don't read Arabic.
Of course, this person may not realize, but Japanese and Korean civility, hard work, and politeness are world-famous, and this translates into soccer and how they play.
English translation (original Arabic post to follow in next post)
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I've observed for a while now and focused on this matter.
Notice how players from the Japanese and South Korean national teams rarely dispute the referee's decisions or create problems with the opposing players, no matter what happens to them.
Even if they face unfair refereeing, they don't object. The strongest objection they might express is their captain calmly talking to the referee. Even if provoked by the opposing players, they never retaliate. We've all seen the Son vs. Al-Bulayhi incident, where Son consoled and greeted Al-Bulayhi after the match (referring to the match against KSA) .
It feels like they are disciplined, organized in a military-like unit, fulfilling their duties to the fullest. They don't look for others' mistakes to exploit, avoid provoking others, don't object to unfair refereeing, and don't waste time. They don't engage in taunting or trash-talking; in fact, they speak very little.
Even off the field, we rarely hear controversial statements or objections from them, despite their stardom. Even their fans are well-behaved, educated, appearing sparingly on channels, supporting their teams without causing problems or provoking rival fans.
I honestly don't know if this is inherent to Koreans and Japanese or something they learned through study and daily life, or if these are principles ingrained in their countries that persist even abroad.
I deeply admire and respect these two nations, sometimes envying them because they do more than they speak. Their organized lives and advanced countries make them beloved, productive, disciplined, and cultured people ."
Of course, this person may not realize, but Japanese and Korean civility, hard work, and politeness are world-famous, and this translates into soccer and how they play.
English translation (original Arabic post to follow in next post)
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I've observed for a while now and focused on this matter.
Notice how players from the Japanese and South Korean national teams rarely dispute the referee's decisions or create problems with the opposing players, no matter what happens to them.
Even if they face unfair refereeing, they don't object. The strongest objection they might express is their captain calmly talking to the referee. Even if provoked by the opposing players, they never retaliate. We've all seen the Son vs. Al-Bulayhi incident, where Son consoled and greeted Al-Bulayhi after the match (referring to the match against KSA) .
It feels like they are disciplined, organized in a military-like unit, fulfilling their duties to the fullest. They don't look for others' mistakes to exploit, avoid provoking others, don't object to unfair refereeing, and don't waste time. They don't engage in taunting or trash-talking; in fact, they speak very little.
Even off the field, we rarely hear controversial statements or objections from them, despite their stardom. Even their fans are well-behaved, educated, appearing sparingly on channels, supporting their teams without causing problems or provoking rival fans.
I honestly don't know if this is inherent to Koreans and Japanese or something they learned through study and daily life, or if these are principles ingrained in their countries that persist even abroad.
I deeply admire and respect these two nations, sometimes envying them because they do more than they speak. Their organized lives and advanced countries make them beloved, productive, disciplined, and cultured people ."