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Even Stoke City's Supernova star Bae Joon-ho will not be able to join the team. The Korea Football Association said on Sunday that Stoke City, Bae's team, which was included in the 23 entries for the final qualifying round for the Olympics, has finally informed the team that it will not be able to recruit players due to sinking circumstances. Hwang Sun-hong replaced Choi Kang-min (Ulsan HD). Choi will enter Doha, Qatar, the site of the Asian Games, at 11:45 p.m. local time on Saturday.

Bae Jun-ho's failure to join the team literally means unexpected news. Hwang Sun-hong will play at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar in 2024. The upcoming event will also serve as the final Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics. It has not been easy from the start of the group league. They belong to the same group as Japan, China, and the United Arab Emirates. The qualifying round for the Olympics is more difficult than the World Cup. Unlike the World Cup, where 8.5 sheets are given, only the top three teams advance to the Olympic finals, and the fourth place finisher has to play a playoff game against Guinea, which is ranked fourth in the African qualifying round.

It is creaking even before the start of the tournament. Hwang had to go on a business trip to Europe early to prepare his best performance. As this tournament is not an official A-match prescribed by FIFA, he cannot be called out if his team opposes to it. He met with teams of key players and asked for their cooperation. In the first place, Ko Young-joon (Partizan) and Kwon Hyuk-kyu (St. Mirren) were not even included in the entry list. They chose Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Jung Sang-bin (Minnesota) and Kim Min-woo (Dusseldorf) Bae Joon-ho, who have a chance to play overseas. However, Yang was the first player who informed him that he would not be able to call in, and Kim Ji-soo was also opposed by his team. Instead, Hong Si-hoo (Incheon) and Kim Dong-jin (Pohang) were selected as substitutes.

The last hope was Bae Jun-ho. Bae Jun-ho was the ace Hwang Sun-hong's most anticipated in this year's event, which requires no explanation. Bae, who established himself as the team's ace after moving to Stoke City, showed a different level of performance at the last WAAF U-23 Championship, where he won the championship. At that time, he was asked to join his team early, so he left the team early. Hwang waited until the end for Bae, but his answer was ultimately unavailable. As Stoke City's sports director, who initially promised to let Bae go, changed, it began to get twisted, and the situation at Stoke City, which ranks 20th in the league and is in the relegation zone, took a decisive blow. Stoke City made it clear that it could not send an ace.

Coach Hwang's concerns are expected to grow further in that Bae Joon-ho is a player who can make a difference against opponent's dense defense. Initially, Yang Hyun-joon and Bae Joon-ho's wings were used as the axis of attack, but a plan B transition became inevitable.

Hwang is thus set to make it to the finals of the Olympic Games without considering all of his major resources. Among the K-League players, Busan, the core defensive player, is out due to injury. Baek Sang-hoon (Seoul), a key player in the team's midfield, is also not in normal condition. After arriving in Doha on Tuesday, Hwang said, "I have difficulties due to issues such as injury in overseas leagues, and that happens a lot in competitions. I will do my best to overcome such difficulties and win a berth to the Olympics for the 10th consecutive time." Hwang will play his first match against the UAE on Tuesday at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar.