Fifa World Cup: South Korea's cunning 'shirtswap' plan to confuse Sweden

South Korean manager Shin Tae-yong. Photo / Getty Images

South Korean manager Shin Tae-yong has revealed a cunning ploy to confuse Sweden ahead of their opening match at the Football World Cup.

Tae-yong, who took over at the helm of the team in 2017, claimed he had players wearing the wrong shirts during recent friendlies against Senegal and Bolivia.

The idea was developed to confuse Swedish 'spies' after one of the European team's scouts, Lasse Jacobsson, found his way into a closed South Korean training earlier in the month.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Tae-yong said only Tottenham forward Son Heung-min and captain Ki Sung-yueng wore their usual shirts in the two friendlies.

"We switched them around because we didn't want to show our opponents everything and to try and confuse them," Tae-yong said.

"They might know a few of our players but it is very difficult for Westerners to distinguish between Asians and that's why we did that."

Sweden manager Janne Anderson addressed the issue of spying in his pre-match conference, and said Jacobsson was unaware the training he stumbled upon was a closed session.

"He heard about a practice session, he didn't understand that it was a closed session, he didn't understand and he watched from a distance," Andersson said.

"It's very important we show respect to all our opponents in all circumstances. If someone could interpret it in another way we regret it."

The sides will meet in their opening match of the World Cup at midnight tonight.