Olympic footballers kick off training in Brazil

SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) — The South Korean men’s Olympic football team have started training in Brazil for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the Olympic team had tactical training and other exercises at a football field near Bourbon Atibaia Resort in Sao Paulo on Wednesday (local time). Fourteen players from the 18-man squad and the coaching staff arrived at their Sao Paulo base camp on Tuesday, after traveling from South Korea through Frankfurt, Germany.

The KFA said that among the four players who didn’t travel with the main squad, FC Red Bull Salzburg striker Hwang Hee-chan joined the team on Wednesday, a day earlier than originally scheduled. The KFA said Vegalta Sendai midfielder Kim Min-tae will arrive in Sao Paulo on Thursday, followed by Guangzhou R&F defender Jang Hyun-soo four days later. Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min is set to join the squad on July 31.

South Korea, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, have been placed in Group C with Fiji, Germany and Mexico.

South Korea are set to play two friendly matches in Sao Paulo: Iraq on Sunday behind the closed doors and Sweden five days later before moving to Salvador, the site of the first two group matches, on July 30.

The KFA said the Olympic team will train twice a day — 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. — but will have only one training session on Saturday to prepare for the match against Iraq. The KFA added the team’s physical training is managed by Brazilian trainer Luis Flavio, who was hired last week to help with the team’s exercise program in Brazil.

At the Summer Games, South Korea will open their campaign against Fiji on Aug. 4 in Salvador and will face Germany three days later, also in Salvador. The group finale will be against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Brasilia.

The South Korean Olympic football players exercise at a football field near Bourbon Atibaia Resort in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on July 20, 2016.