Hong Deok-young

Hong Deok-young was a South Korean football player, manager and referee. He was one of the first South Koreans to be capped for their country at international level. He was the main goalkeeper of the South Korea national team for the 1948 Summer Olympics, 1954 FIFA World Cup and 1954 Asian Games. After retiring, he became an international football referee from 1957 to 1967. In later life, Hong went blind due to complication of diabetes mellitus, which already had an impact on his eyesight during his playing career, requiring him to wear glasses on the pitch. He died on 13 September 2005.