A Nostalgic Korean Summer

The K-League All Stars game is a regular part of the Korean football calendar and a much-loved fixture at that. The format changes as in the past, northern teams have played southern teams, the K-League team has played J-League counterparts and two years ago, even Barcelona provided the opposition.

This time though, the team lining up against the All-Stars on July 5, made up of players who won the most votes in a nationwide poll, are special. It is the 2002 World Cup team. As this month marks the tenth anniversary of that glorious run to the semi-final, the authorities have seen fit to mark the occasion with what should be a sell-out exhibition at Seoul World Cup Stadium, where the run came to an end at the hands of Germany.

It is being organized by the star of the show Ahn Jung-hwan. The recently retired striker who headed Italy out of the competition on that unforgettable night in Daejeon, an incredible night in both football terms and what happened in the country in the following hours and days, is heading the marketing campaign. He has already been seen calling captain Hong Myong-bo who then gets hold of Guus Hiddink. Both will be present.

It remains to be seen if Park Ji-sung will make it though it doesn’t look likely and Lee Young-pyo will be busy in MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps. Most of the others will be there – Seol Ki-hyeon, Kim Nam-il and Lee Woon-jae are still active in the K-League while the likes of Ahn and Song Chung-guk have just recently retired. Hwang Sun-hong and Yoo Sang-chul, who scored in the opening round 2-0 win over Poland, are now K-League coaches with Pohang Steelers and Daejeon Citizen respectively.

It promises to be quite a night.  

FA Cup fighting

There was a good deal of hand-wringing after the fist-flinging at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 20 in the fourth round of the FA Cup between bitter rivals FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings. Once again, Suwon got the better of the capital club with a 2-0 win although the goals will not be remembered long. What will stick in the memory are 42 fouls, one red card (and there really should have been more with some of the wild challenges) and the mass brawl that broke out at the end of the game.

It didn’t stop there as Korean media reported that a Seoul marketing officials was hospitalized by a member of the Suwon staff. After a fifth straight defeat against Suwon, a number of Seoul fans then protested outside the stadium against their own team (sitting top of the league at this point) and lay down in front of the team bus.  

Back to the league

Jeonbuk Motors are the form team at the moment with five straight wins which contained 19 goals. Chile recruit Hugo Droguett has found his feet in the league and is starting to shine after a slow start. Lee Dong-gook is never far from the scoresheet and netted a hat-trick in a recent 5-3 win at home to Gyeongnam FC, goals 124, 125 and 126 in the K-League. Nobody has scored more.

 There are worries for Seongnam. Three straight defeats in the league and an elimination from the FA Cup, the club’s best hope of a place in the 2013 Asian Champions League (they were eliminated from the 2012 version recently) have put the pressure on Shin Tae-young. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had led the team to the 2010 Asian title, he may be in a little danger. As it is, he can stand by the sidelines looking annoyed.

There have been many changes at the club since that 2010 win and just as the team was starting to settle in the second half of 2011, there was another raft at the end of the season. Too many good players have left for the liking of fans who have demanded a meeting with the club.

Daejeon Citizen seem to going in the opposite direction. A truly dreadful start to the season in which they lost nine out of the first ten games, had everyone tipping the Purple Emperors for the drop. But three wins out of the last four – including a 3-0 victory at Seongnam – have seen Yoo Sang-cheol’s men start to pull away from the basement.

Belgian striker Kevin Oris has started to look very good and if former injury-prone national team midfielder Kim Hyeung-beom can keep fit and scoring the kind of screamer that did for Seongnam, the future may be bright.

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When Citizens Attack: K-League Season Gathering Pace

Six down, 38 to go, the K-League season may have a long way to go but the first month has been action-packed with shocks, hooliganism, full and empty stadiums and mascots getting attacked.

That happened at Incheon United. It was only the second ever game at the brand spanking new Sungui Arena. The first match was marred by a ticketing fiasco that saw thousands of fans stuck outside in the freezing cold for hours. That problem was fixed by the time Daejeon came to town but there was worse to come.

Most agree that Incheon mascot Durumi started the trouble in the battle of the two bottom teams. The crane, according to witnesses, was making fun of the away fans after Incheon claimed a much-needed 2-1 win. For two visitors, it was all too much and they sprinted onto the pitch and knocked the bird off his little power scooter and then proceeded to knock his block off. Shocked Daejeon players and security staff eventually pulled the assailants off.

That wasn’t the end of it though. A group of Incheon fans made their way to the Daejeon supporters and another fight ensued. The scenes were not pretty and there were reports that after the fighting stopped inside the stadium, it continued outside.

The K-League swiftly and strictly clamped down. Incheon were told to play a future game in a different region, as yet unannounced, while Daejeon have to play twice behind closed doors. Thankfully, Durumi is on the mend.

Two fan-free games is the least of Daejeon’s problems. No points, one goal and six defeats from six games has the pressure on rookie coach Yoo Sang-chul. Nicknamed ‘Yubi’ by his fellow 2002 World Cup squad members for his leadership skills after a famous Chinese general, he really has his work cut out as he gets to grip with his first full season. Already fans are voicing their frustration. With relegation introduced for the first time, these are nervous times.

While it is no big surprise to see Daejeon in the nether regions, Seongnam are not much better off. The seven-time Korean champions are also gunning for a third Asian title but at the moment, neither look likely. With just one win in six games, the team is struggling. Striker Dzenan Radoncic is banging them in for new team Suwon Bluewings, helped by Cho Dong-keun. Sasa Ognenovski is injured while new midfield signing Yoo Bitgaram has yet to fit in with his new team.

Coach Shin Tae-yong rang the changes after a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Busan I’Park and while the performance was better against Pohang Steelers, the result was the same. Well, it was actually worse as the 2010 Asian Champions lost 2-0 to the 2009 winners.

More headlines have been used on Jeonbuk Motors, a team that isn’t actually doing too badly but still have yet to suggest they are accustomed to losing long-term coach Choi Kang-hee. Choi went to the national team job, leaving assistant Lee Heung-sil in charge of the champions. Lee led the team to two disastrous showings in the Asian Champions League with successive 5-1 defeats – quite a shock for fans of the 2006 champions and 2011 runners-up. They bounced back with a 2-0 win at Gyeongnam, another team that is struggling more than expected.

There are familiar names at the top though Jeju United are not usual leaders. After finishing as runners-up in 2010, last season was a real let-down for fans on the island and with the departure of striker Kim Eun-jung to Gangwon in the summer, more of the same was feared. That hasn't been the case so far. New signing Seo Dong-hyun, who moved in the opposite direction to Kim. has already got three goals including a last-minute winner against old club Suwon Bluewings. Young striker Bae Il-hwan has also impressed.

There are three teams sharing 13 points with the leaders. FC Seoul have bounced back from their defeat at rivals Suwon Bluewings. 2011 top scorer Dejan Damjanovic scored twice on Sunday in 2-0 win over Sangju Sangju to dispel fears that he may be sulking after being denied a big money move to China. Suwon’s ‘twin towers’ in attack Dzenan Radoncic and Stevica Ristic are starting to click while Ulsan have slipped a little after a very bright start but are still very much in the mix.


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Jeonbuk Motors Win Deserved Title

It didn’t come as a surprise. Jeonbuk Motors led the K-league from early in the season and were the best team for most of it. Choi Kang-hee’s men should have won the Asian title too but had to make do with the domestic title to add to the 2009 crown.

The inevitable came to pass on December 4 in the second leg of the Championship play-off final against Ulsan Horangi. Jeonbuk won the away leg 2-1 and then, despite falling a goal behind at home, recovered to take the return match by the same scoreline in front of a big crowd, which took the league past the three million mark for the season.



Even stony-faced Choi Kang-hee managed a smile during the celebrations after which he told reporters that he felt now that Jeonbuk had become a big club. He is right. Until their 2006 Asian title, the Jeonju outfit had never been a serious contender but is now one of the best in Korea and the continent at large.

Striker Lee Dong-guk didn’t get on the score sheet and even missed a penalty (Ulsan conceded five in five play-off matches but only two were scored) but had already done enough to be overwhelmingly voted in as the 2011 K-League MVP almost exactly 48 hours after lifting the trophy.

Jeonbuk are not a team full of internationals, Korean squads come and go with barely a name in it from the champions, but coach Choi knows all about winning in the K-League. He rarely smiles but he often wins. Well-organised, tough but with players who can really play, the champions have been formidable.

Ulsan finished sixth in the regular standings after a fairly mediocre campaign. The team saved their best for the play-offs, deservedly beating FC Seoul in the opening game and then squeezing past Suwon Bluewings and Pohang Steelers to get the shot at Jeonbuk and the title.

Pohang finished second in the league but didn’t get too much reward for a solid first season under Hwang Sun-hong. The team was never really in danger of losing second spot but, for a thrilling 3-2 win over Jeonbuk aside, rarely threatened to occupy the summit.

Big boys FC Seoul and Suwon both had disappointing starts to the season. Seoul lost coach Hwangbo Kwan and while caretaker Choi Yong-soo stepped in to steady the ship, he struggled to produce the goods in the games when it mattered. Montenegrin marksman Dejan Damjanovic had another season to remember however, scoring 22 goals, an impressive tally and six more than the next in the charts – Lee Dong-guk.

Suwon’s season took a turn for the better with the summer signing of Stevica Ristic. The muscular Macedonian scored for fun and sent the Bluewings soaring into the play-offs. He never appeared in the loss against Ulsan however as he had to serve a six-game suspension handed out by the AFC. His part in the mass brawl against Al Sadd in the semi-final of the 2011 Asian Champions League was worst than most but the punishment seemed excessive.

It was an unlucky season for Suwon. A controversial goal knocked the team out of the Asian Champions League, the same happened in the final of the FA Cup and they were eliminated from the play-offs after a penalty shootout.



The surprise package of the season were Busan I’Park. Ahn Ik-soo was in his first season as coach and after an indifferent start led the team into fifth helped by talented attackers such as Park Hee-do and Yang Dong-hyun. Park has already left for Seoul and the problem for Busan over the coming months is going to be keeping hold of their best players when the bigger boys come calling.

Seongnam Ilhwa started the season as Asian champs and ended it by winning the FA Cup to book a place in the 2012 version. Not much in between was good as the team without sold stars such as Mauricio Molina and Jung Sung-ryong struggled but coach Shin Tae-yong is hopeful of a return to form both at home and overseas for Korea’s most successful team.

Gyeongnam FC almost made the play-offs but failed at the end. Their season was disrupted by the sale of star striker Lucio to Ulsan in the summer and the sale of star midfielder Yoon Bitgaram to Seongnam as soon as the season ended, despite interest from Glasgow Rangers suggests that the future may not be so bright.

Chunnam Dragons also just missed out and the day after it all finished, coach Jung Hae-sung handed in his notice but was persuaded to stay on by the club. Also in Jeolla Province, Gwangju FC had a reasonable first season and finished in 11th with Lee Sung-ki impressing in midfield, so much so that he was named Rookie of the Year. Last season’s runners-up Jeju United ended in ninth after a disappointing season.

Then there are the strugglers. Daegu FC, Daejeon Citizen and Sangju Sangmu spent the season in the lower reaches of the standings along usual mid-table team Incheon United. . Gangwon FC failed to score for the first four matches, setting the scene for a pretty dire season.

The season was dominated however not by Jeonbuk or anyone else for that matter but match-fixing. Rumours have abounded for some time but the scale of the practice surprised everyone with around 60 players, some still playing others not, prosecuted and all banned from football from various numbers of years and sometimes life.



It was all a bit depressing but some good could come out of it if the K-league sticks to its guns and launches a more professional version of Asia’s oldest professional league. Relegation is coming in 2012 for the first time though it has yet to be confirmed just how many teams will drop through the trapdoor.

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Out Of It Octet Already Thinking Of 2011

While much of the attention is understandably at the top end of the K-league as the end of the season approaches, those a little lower down the standings have issues of their own.

Seven of the 15 still have much to play for but the bottom eight are already thinking about next season. One has more to think about than most. Gwangju Sangmu FC is the league’s military club and gives the nation’s players a place to swap the khaki uniform for the orange soccer shirt during their two years of military service. The team usually struggles - it hasn’t won in the last 15 games - as would most teams if they couldn’t sign any new players and saw their entire personnel change every two years.

Sangmu’s contract with the southwestern city is coming to an end and as Gwangju will have its own team from 2011, a real soccer team, the army men are marching in search for a new base. It is proving difficult as cities that had previously been interested in welcoming the team such as Anyang, Ansan and Paju have had a change of heart.

Happier times look to be ahead for Incheon United. The west coast club is now under the control of Huh Jung-moo, the man who took South Korea to the second round of the 2010 World Cup. Since arriving in July, Huh has been frustrated and encouraged in equal measure. His new team have an infuriating habit of losing leads. A 3-0 lead against lowly Daejeon Citizen ended 3-3 and caused Huh to blast his players for “idiotic football”. With two minutes to go the week before last, United were 2-0 ahead over title-chasing Gyeongnam FC but ending up drawing 2-2.

Huh has been delighted with the form however of Yoo Byung-soo. The coach may have ignored the young striker for the World Cup but Yoo can’t stop scoring and will top the K-league’s chart by some distance. Keeping hold of the powerful attacker may be Huh’s greatest challenge over the next few months.

Of the teams in the lower reaches of the standings, the one looking around at unfamiliar company and wondering ‘where the hell are we?’ is Pohang Steelers. The Gyeongsang giants ended 2009 as Asian champions, for a record third time, and playing (and impressing) at FIFA’s Club World Cup. Soon after, Brazilian coach Sergio Farias was tempted away by the riches of Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli.

He didn’t last long there but neither did his replacement in Korea, Waldermar Lemos. Pohang’s domestic form has been poor all season and while the team made it to the last eight of the continental competition, a chance of a fourth title was ended by Zob Ahan of Iran. The club has a temporary coach while it seeks a new guy ahead of next season. He will be Korean - and Busan I’Park coach Hwang Sun-hong is rumoured to be the favoured candidate.

Busan’s season has been reasonable for a club without much money. The former giant of Korean and Asian football flirted with the play-offs for a time but never really seemed serious about getting among the big boys.

The other names down the depths are familiar ones. Daegu FC and Daejeon Citizen are not able to sign the top players and struggle more often than not while Gangwon FC is in only its second season. The Gangneung/Chuncheon based club has enjoyed some good results but has been unable to gain any momentum.

Down in South Jeolla Province, Chunnam Dragons will be disappointed with 2010 after enjoying 2009. The Dragons has spent much of the season down the bottom and despite a team boasting the talents of Brazilians Adrian Chuva and Indio are already in off-season mode.

This time next week it will all be over for the also-rans as the top six commence the play-offs but then there is always next season.

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