Rebuilding Korean football starts with K-League

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Rebuilding Korean football starts with K-League

Posted : 2014-07-01 16:53

Updated : 2014-07-02 17:17

Many empty seats are seen during a K-League game in this file photo. The domestic top league needs more support from fans, which can help the country's national team avoid a dismal performance at the next World Cup in Russia. / Yonhap

This is the first in a series of articles highlighting ways of injecting fresh air into the Korean national team after its dismal performance in the World Cup Brazil. ― ED.

By Kim Tae-jong, Nam Hyun-woo

Korea may look as football-crazy as Brazil, considering the thousands of people gathered in a Seoul square from midnight to watch their team's World Cup match at 4 a.m.

But don't be deceived by this.

The show of such enthusiasm is seen only every four years for the World Cup period and proves to be short-lived.

The low turnout for local professional football matches speaks volumes.

The average number of spectators per game at the K-League stood at only 7,638 last year, an indicator to show how seriously the Korean top league has been ignored. In comparison, Indonesia's Super League drew 11,000 spectators on average with Vietnam's V-League at 7,200.

So it is a real miracle that Korea with such a small interest in its own league made it into the World Cup for the eighth consecutive time.

However, few are satisfied with Korea's campaign in Brazil.

In order to prevent a dismal performance at the next World Cup in Russia, changes must be made.

Building a stronger team starts with the K-League.

Without efforts to nurture our own football league, it will be difficult to upgrade our players' skills and abilities.

Also, we have witnessed that some K-League stars played better than those who play for renowned foreign clubs.

The 23-man squad had 17 foreign-based players, the largest number ever in Korea's World Cup saga.

Many of them play for foreign teams for better income. But these players failed to perform well in the World Cup campaign.

Son Heung-min, Kim Shin-wook, Lee Keun-ho and Kim Seung-gyu shone, but all of them except for Son belong to the K-League.

Clubs should strategize to make them a real breeding ground for good and promising players.

This means being selective in hiring foreign players. Now the K-League hires second-rate strikers, perhaps depriving Korean players of a chance to hone their scoring skills.

Of course, hiring big-name players as crowd pleasers should not be ruled out.

In this regard, the United States would be a good example.

The underdog has been showing growth potential, with its Major League football clubs signing former star players. Most recently, Orlando City brought Brazil's Kaka.

Broadcasters also need to create more of a football frenzy for potential fans.

Now, most games are not broadcast on nationwide TV channels, and K-League fans even struggle to find private broadcasters on the Internet to watch their team's matches, as sports cable channels opt to air second-tier baseball league games.

The second half of the K-League Classic will start this Saturday. Perhaps, it is time to visit stadiums and cheer for potential heroes for the 2018 Russia World Cup.

namhw@ktimes.co.kr