Safety issues at football stadium prompts match relocation

A photo of the Pohang Steelers' home stadium, Pohang Steel Yard, in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of Pohang Steelers

An upcoming national football tournament match has been moved out of a 36-year-old football stadium in the southeastern city of Pohang due to safety concerns, officials said Thursday.

Pohang Steelers of the K League 1 said their home stadium, Pohang Steel Yard, will undergo "comprehensive safety inspections" in the coming days and thus will not host the round of 16 match against Jinju Citizen FC at the Korea Cup tournament next Wednesday.

The move was in response to an incident during a K League 1 match last Saturday at the stadium, where a piece of concrete fell from the ceiling and injured a fan.

According to the club, the fan sustained a minor hand injury and watched the rest of the match from another area of the stadium, instead of going to a local hospital for a further checkup.

"We would like to apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused by this incident," Pohang Steelers said. "In order to ensure the safety of our fans, we will implement all the necessary steps following the safety inspections and continue to strengthen our stadium management."

The club added that the new venue for next week's Korea Cup match and for upcoming K League 1 matches will be determined following discussions with relevant authorities.

The stadium in question opened in 1990. The club explained it had been carrying out safety checks on the concrete ceilings throughout the stadium for the past few days when the incident occurred.