By Cho Mu-hyun
The K-League slapped fines on Incheon United and Daejeon Citizen Thursday following a recent crowd trouble at a game between the two at Sungeui Arena Park in Incheon.
United will have to pay 5 million won and Citizen 10 million. Incheon will also have to play a home game at a neutral venue, while Daejeon fans will be banned from two future fixtures. Which matches this will affect has yet to be decided.
On Saturday, United defeated Citizen 2-1 to secure a first win of the season. But its joy was short lived as violence broke out. Two Daejeon fans jumped onto the pitch and beat up Incheon’s mascot and a scuffle between rival supporters groups broke out in the stands.
On Wednesday, United manager Huh Jung-moo criticized the post-game disruption.
“For the K-League to develop, the fan culture must change first,” said Huh. “They should patiently support their team instead of letting a win or a loss of a game determine their emotions so much.”
Some of the fans are arguing that metal fences should be built around the pitch, as the design of the newly built Sungeui Arena Park has made the pitch too accessible for spectators. But the 57-year-old disagrees, and blamed supporters of both clubs for the crowd violence.
“England is a country that has a lot of these kinds of incidents (during football matches) but they have almost no stadiums with iron fences (sic),” said the 57-year-old manager. “A more fundamental solution is needed. The change in the mindsets of fans is more important.”
Incheon Jungbu Police started investigation Monday and are reportedly considering bringing criminal charges against the two men. According to United, police officers have visited the stadium to collect video footage of the incident, and that the club has “cooperated in the fullest.”
“The mascot is not a direct employee of the club, but a man hired by an event planning company that we have a contract with for games,” said an Incheon official over the phone with The Korea Times. “We are responsible for the scuffle between the fans that happened afterwards, but the assault of the mascot is out of our hands.”
There are some who believe the mascot incited the Daejeon fans by intentionally stopping in front of them and gesticulating in an offensive manner. Many cite footage of the incident that was broadcast and spread online. But the United official denied that the mascot intentionally stopped in front of Citizen supporters and behaved inappropriately.
“What the mascot did was a common routine in every match. We started deploying the mascot last year,” said the official. “He always goes around the pitch after the game and cheers in front of fans.”
The mascot, a 34-year-old man who requested to stay anonymous according to a Korean media outlet, said he is the victim and that the beating was unprovoked.
Citizen banned the two men from attending all club fixtures this season Tuesday but the K-League increased the punishment to all domestic games.
United released a statement on their official website stating they will increase security near the seats reserved for visiting supporters. They also stated that if fan violence reoccurs, they will build higher rails near seats to prevent spectators jumping onto the pitch.