“We apologize for the recent issues메이저사이트.”
Busan I-Park has been deprived of a safe room ‘again’ for a bizarre reason. It was because two other teams were playing friendly matches at the Busan Asiad main stadium at the height of the season. As a result, Busan had to move their two home games in August to Gudeok Stadium. Not only the players but also the fans have to bear the brunt of this situation, and it is hard to see any respect for the club and the fans in this process. This is the reason why the club expressed its regret.
On the 29th, the Busan club announced through its official channel, “We regret the recent issues related to the Busan Asiad main stadium. In order to focus on promotion, we will play the two games in August at Gudeok Stadium. We will do our best to show our fans good results and performances.” The target matches at Guduk are against Cheonan on the 5th and Jeonnam on the 15th.
At a time when Busan needs to focus on the race for promotion, the team is forced to temporarily change its home stadium because Paris Saint-Germain (PSG-France)’s friendly match against Jeonbuk Hyundai will be held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium on the 3rd. In the aftermath of the friendly match, Cheonan Safety, which is scheduled for two days later, will not be able to hold its normal event. Chunsan, which pays rent to the city of Busan, is technically using the stadium as its home stadium, but it was suddenly kicked out for a friendly match between two other teams.
What’s worse is that the friendly was planned as a way to support Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo. PSG’s opponent was not Busan, which has ties to the city of Busan, but Jeonbuk, whose parent company is Hyundai Motor Company, which is supporting the Expo bid. In the end, a “skit” occurred in which Busan clubs and fans were turned away from a friendly match with the meaning of praying for the Busan Expo bid.
Above all, the so-called ‘Busan I-Park passing’ by the city of Busan has raised the ire of the clubs and fans. Even club executives learned from media reports that a friendly match between PSG and Jeonbuk would be held at the Busan Asiad main stadium. The Busan club requested that the stadium be relocated for the sake of the fans if it is inevitable, but the city of Busan reportedly refused to allow them to install variable seats at Gudeok Stadium. The damage will be borne solely by Busan fans.
Busan IPark’s statement on the temporary relocation of the stadium. Photo by Busan IPark
Busan I-Park players who played a K League match in a secondary stadium due to a concert event at the Busan Asia Cup main stadium last year. Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association
Busan IPark Supporters SNS
Moreover, this is not the first time that Busan has been deprived of a safe room like this. Previously, the team has had to play in other stadiums due to concerts and A-match preparations. There was even a time when they played a K League game in a secondary stadium that didn’t even have a roof over the stands. As Busan City’s behavior is repeatedly disrespectful to the club, fans’ frustration with the city is bound to explode.
In a recent appeal, Busan supporters said, “Busan’s behavior is, ‘We don’t care about you,’ and ‘If you tell us to leave, we’ll take care of ourselves.’ It is doubtful that this is the administration of the officials of the second largest city in Korea.” “Busan soccer is now bruised and sick. At a time when the team is putting everything on the line for promotion to the first division, the city’s sports administration is hurting the Busan Ice Park.”
He added that in June 2021, Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon wrote, ‘I hope with the citizens of Busan that the I-Park Football Club will develop into the best team in Korea and even the best team in Asia,’ and said, “If you think that the current sports administration is correct with what I wrote, but the current sports administration of Busan City seems to be telling Busan soccer fans that you do not deserve to have the name of Busan,” and said, “I implore the citizens of Busan and soccer fans. Please say something bitter to the city of Busan for its lies and unilateral behavior.”
The Busan club also considered playing all of their remaining home games at Guduk Stadium, but due to the lack of cooperation in installing variable seats, they eventually decided to play only two games at Guduk. An official said, “Internally, we considered the opportunity cost of renting the main stadium for the Busan Asiad and decided it was better to come back. It is most unfortunate that the fans suffered inconvenience due to the stadium relocation. However, we are rather grateful that most of the reactions were ‘what can the club do wrong’ rather than complaints such as asking for season ticket refunds.”