Following the day's news blitz, the Korean Football Association officially revealed that the Korean national soccer team will embark on an intense series of four warm-up matches in June, with opponents for three of the tournaments already locked in: a June 2 match against Brazil, a June 6 match against Chile, and a June 10 confrontation with Paraguay. As for the fourth warm-up match on June 14, the opponents have yet to be decided.
The arrangement of opponents for this warm-up match may seem fortuitous, but it actually contains business wisdom. In the case of Brazil, for example, the Japan Football Association (JFA) paid a whopping 300 million yen (about 15.23 million yuan) to invite the Brazilian national team to Japan on June 6 for a tournament. However, the Brazilian FA has promised that key players, including Neymar, will travel with the team. The price has actually been discounted as Brazil will first play the South Korean national team on June 2 in South Korea. In this way, the Japanese and Korean Football Associations (KFA) have shared the cost of the Far East trip, significantly reducing the cost.After appearing against Japan on June 2, the Paraguayan team will transit to South Korea to warm up with the Korean national team on the 10th. Brazil, on the other hand, will play in South Korea before moving on to Japan, where they will play on June 6, and will fly to Melbourne, Australia, for a warm-up match against Argentina after the match. Chile, on the other hand, will first warm up in South Korea and then fly directly to Japan for the Kirin Cup on June 6 after playing the South Korean national team. Tunisia, on the other hand, flew directly to Japan for the tournament due to their relatively low appearance fee. The Korean Football Association (KFA) is also actively looking for an opponent for the final warm-up match on June 14th. This arrangement of warm-up matches involves not only inviting opponents, but also a kind of business operation. If the Chinese national team can organize normal tournaments in June and invite Chile, Paraguay or even Tunisia to China, it can not only sharpen the national team's preparation for the 2023 Asian Cup, but also achieve significant savings in the cost of hosting the tournament. This may be the best way for the Chinese, Japanese and South Korean football associations to join forces and realize the integration of business operations.
