I feel very sorry.”
Suwon Samsung, the ‘football capital’, is now in a position to receive sympathy from fans of rival FC Seoul.
Suwon Samsung announced on the 26th that it would fire coach Kim Byeong-soo and entrust Yeom Ki-hoon, who had been playing coach, as acting coach. Suwon explained the reason for the change of head coach, saying, “The club decided that special measures were inevitable in order to overcome the desperate crisis and revive the spark of hope.”
This is truly a ‘special measure’. Suwon is currently at the bottom of the league and is in danger of relegation. Last May, coach Kim Byung-soo took over as firefighter, succeeding director Lee Byeong-geun and acting director Choi Seong-yong, but there was no turnaround.
Suwon seemed to be rebounding by going undefeated (2 wins, 3 draws) in 5 games, starting with a win against Gangwon, which was the second game under coach Kim Byeong-soo’s regime, but they recently fell into consecutive losses and fell to 12th place again. In the end, five months after taking over as head coach of Suwon, coach Kim Byeong-soo was forced to step down at a critical juncture with seven games remaining in the season.
Suwon fans exploded with anger at the shocking news. Fans offered consolation to coach Kim Byeong-soo, who shaved his head, and poured criticism towards the front office. In Suwon’s social media post, not only Suwon fans but also other K-League fans gathered to point out the club’s actions.
In particular, criticism poured in for using club legend Yeom Ki-hoon as a shield. It is said that the front office used Yeom Yeom-hoon as a scapegoat to avoid responsibility. Although he serves as a playing coach, he has virtually no formal coaching experience. In a desperate crisis with relegation just around the corner, questions are bound to arise as to whether it is right to entrust the baton to Yeom Ki-hoon.
Fans expressed their anger through direct action. They took action by directly sending condolence wreaths to Suwon World Cup Stadium and visiting the stadium themselves to hang hanging hangings and posting post-it notes. It has been reported that more than 10 condolence wreaths were delivered to the club.
The Suwon World Cup Stadium visited on the 27th was filled with the fans’ earnest resentment. The exterior of the club’s fan shop was covered with messages posted by fans. Fans used post-it notes and sketchbooks to express what they wanted to say, and post-it notes and pens were also placed for other fans to add to. Most of them were phrases aimed at the front desk or messages of support for coach Kim Byeong-soo and acting coach Ki-hoon Yeom.
Next to the fan shop, there was even an altar set up like you would see at a funeral. In addition to ceremonial ware, incense, and fruit, there were also bunches of white chrysanthemums, uniforms that said “Don’t trample on our youth and romance,” and mufflers. In the representative cheering phrase, “SUWON till I Die.”, ’till’ and ‘I’ are crossed out, “SUWON Die.” The hanging hanging also attracted attention.
Even as we slowly looked around the stadium, the footsteps of Suwon fans continued. Although the weather was inclement with a little rain, some fans showed up with umbrellas and wrote their sincere thoughts on post-it notes. Along with the bouquet of flowers, one fan also wore a condolence ribbon that read, “X Runt, the shovel that builds the legendary meat shield.”
Fans who visited Big Bird took out their cell phones and took a series of pictures, as if they wanted to share their anger and sadness. Among them were rival Seoul fans. Lee Seong-gwang (33), who identified himself as a Seoul fan, said, “I live nearby and came to see Suwon after hearing about it. I thought I wouldn’t have many opportunities to come anymore, so I came to see it because we are rivals and my house is nearby. It’s a pity.” I sighed.
Although Suwon and Seoul are the K League’s biggest rivals, Suwon’s fall was a shock to Lee as well. He said, “Even when we go away, the most fun game is the Super Match against Suwon. When I look at the current situation, I feel very sad.”
Mr. Lee then diagnosed the problem, saying, “The problem seems big to me. There seems to be a lack of effort at the club level. Of course, the players and coaches are responsible, but everyone needs to show unity, but it seems like there is a lack of action on the club level.”
Above all, I was surprised to hear that Ki-Hoon Yeom, a K-League legend recognized by everyone, had taken over as acting manager. Mr. Lee said, “I think he is a very good and outstanding player, but I am not sure. Our team also has Coach Kim Jin-gyu as acting head coach, but… well, it doesn’t seem to be a very good atmosphere.스포츠토토
Suwon’s fate will now be decided in the next seven games. After entering the final round after two consecutive games against Incheon and Pohang, they will take on the final challenge for survival. Depending on the results of the remaining games to be played with acting manager Ki-Hoon Yeom, the team may fall to the second division for the first time in the club’s history or create another drama that they did not want to repeat. Is there really a break in Suwon’s downfall?