FIFA website introduces Kim Jung-mi’s challenging spirit in match against France

"Brave Jungmi"

FIFA gave acclaims for undaunted challenging spirit to Kim Jung-mi, 31, the eldest player of the Korean women’s national team. In its website on Tuesday, FIFA introduced the fighting spirit that Kim displayed in the match of 16 strongest teams against France in the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

FIFA said, "Kim was beaten in the face twice during the match. Brave Kim Jung-mi stood up instantly and continued play. Korea could hardly afford sufficiently to block France’s dominating play. It allowed three goals but Kim’s fighting spirit shined out. Kim showed the path Korean soccer should take.” In an interview with FIFA, Kim said, “Through this experience, the national team will get stronger. We`ve learned a lot. Korean women’s soccer has the potential to develop further.”

The Korea Football Association is considering raising prize money for the women’s soccer team. A source at KFA said, “The board will discuss about reward. As the team advanced to the round of 16, the largest amount of prize money ever could be paid.” After the 2013 World Cup in the U.S., 300 million won (271,000 US dollars) was paid. The national team will also receive 500,000 dollars in prize money from FIFA as prize money for this year’s World Cup.

The team, which will arrive in Korea through Incheon International Airport on Wednesday, will hold a ceremony for dismissal at the airport.

creating@donga.com