Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea captain Son Heung-Min injured his finger in an altercation with teammates on the eve of the country's exit from the Asian Cup.
The players quarreled during a team dinner ahead of their 2-0 semifinal defeat by Jordan last week, which extended their 64-year wait for another Asian Cup title.
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"It happened when some young players went up to play table tennis, and Son Heung-Min and other older players took issue with it," a South Korean Football Federation official told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.
"The players exchanged a few words and Son hurt his finger in the process."
The Korean Football Association were not immediately available for comment, but Son's teammate Lee Kang-in apologised for the incident.
"We have caused great disappointment to the soccer fans who always support our national team. I'm really sorry," Paris Saint-Germain's Lee said in an Instagram story,
"I should have taken the lead and followed my brothers' instructions, but I'm just sorry for showing football fans a bad image. I apologise to the many people who were disappointed by me.
"From now on, I will try to help my brothers become better players and people."
After returning from tournament in Qatar, Son came off the bench in Tottenham's Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday with his right index and middle finger strapped together.
The 31-year-old helped Spurs secure a 2-1 victory with a 96th-minute assist for goalscorer Brennan Johnson.