Korean K.League Soccer News 3 - December 2003

John Duerden reports on the Korean Cup Final

Korea's FA Cup may lack the tradition and glamour of other FA Cups around the world but the 2003 final provided the drama and excitement that other finals often lack. The two finalists Chonbuk Motors and Chunnam Dragons hail from Cholla Province, in the south-west region of Korea.

Citizens from this part of the country are known for complaining about the economic neglect of Cholla Province by successive military governments headed by Presidents from the neighbouring rival south-east Kyongsang Province. Maybe Chollians have chips on both shoulders as they provided a well-balanced exciting game of football.

Chonbuk Motors accelerated quickly and went from nil to one in just nine minutes through the Brazilian Edmilson, he added another in the 47th minute to give his side a two-goal cushion. However with the space of seven minutes Chunnam were back on level terms with a brace from Shin Byung-ho.

The two teams spent the rest of normal and extra time engaged in a fiercely competitive struggle to break the 2-2 deadlock. Tempers and sometimes shirts became frayed as penalties loomed closer on the last day of November in Seoul's disappointingly empty World Cup stadium.

The 20,000 crowd saw Chonbuk score four penalties in the shootout to Chunnam's two, thereby winning a spot in the Asian Champions League as well as the cup.

Another cup-winner, Ian Porterfield, hero of the famous 1973 English FA Cup final when playing for Sunderland against the then mighty Leeds, must have been hoping that some of his FA cup lustre would rub off on his Busan Icons. The league season had been a troubled one for the Scot but a third round draw against Seoul's Konkuk University, a school famous for agricultural studies, barred the way to the land of milk and honey. Porterfield merely managed to shepherd his team out of the cup as his team showed some spirit to come back twice from behind to draw the game 2-2 before losing 5-4 on pens.

The pen wielders didn't stop there; Korea University and Kyunghee University completed a hat-trick of victories for the students over K-League teams. Korea triumphed 2-1 over Anyang Cheetahs. Kyunghee disposed of former Asian Club Champions, Suwon Bluewings 3-2, with Korean national keeper Lee Woon-jae falling behind in his goalkeeping studies. If he doesn't knuckle down his understudy will overtake him.

Most of the smart money to win the cup was on K-League Champions, Seongnam Ilhwa. Seongnam won the league so easily that many thought that they would be the first team in Korean history to win the "double". However, the juggernaut that is Seongnam came to a shuddering halt at railway-friendly Daejeon as the citizens thrashed the kings 5-1. Daejeon then proceeded to lose to K-League paupers Bucheon, who only won four times all season. Football, even after a boring Korean domestic season can still be a funny old game.

Unlucky 13?

Following the 2003 new additions to the K-League, Daegu FC and Gwangju Sangmu, the 2004 season will see another new member.

Incheon, famous for General McArthur's daring amphibious raid of 1950 when he went "around the back" to land behind communist lines, will be the thirteenth team.

Football was introduced to Korea in Incheon in 1882 as British sailors arrived at the port city. Perhaps it is appropriate that the team will adopt a very British team name - Incheon United.

The club has been backed by the people of Incheon who have financed the club through public subscriptions. The team's owner, Ahn jong-bok rather ambitiously intends to create a squad of forty players, including three or four foreign imports. It will not only be a challenge to do so financially but tempting players to Korea's rather uninspiring second largest port, could prove to be equally difficult.

One already tempted is the team's coach, former 1860 Munich and Fenerbahce coach Werner Lorant. In his nine years in Munich he took the team from the German 3rd division to the Champions League. The abrasive German is known for producing attacking sides as well as being a strict disciplinarian. Both aspects should go down well in Korea.

K.League Table 2003

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