Something is wrong. ‘Golden Boy’ Lee Kang-in’s new club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is planning to play a friendly match against Jeonbuk Hyundai in Busan.
Lee Kang-in signed a five-year contract with PSG, a prestigious French club in the Ligue 1, on the 9th of this month until 2028. The next day, on the 10th, it was reported that PSG will visit Korea and play a friendly match with the K League 1 Jeonbuk Hyundai at the Busan Asiad Stadium on the 3rd of next month.
The friendly was organized as part of OTT company Coupang Play’s European team invitation series. Coupang Play announced that it will host a match between Atletico Madrid (Spain) and ‘Team K League’ on the 27th and a match between Manchester City (England) and Atletico Madrid on the 30th at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. PSG and Jeonbuk are scheduled to play on the 3rd.
It’s good to see that Lee Kang-in will be playing in front of Korean fans just a month after donning the PSG jersey. Lee has yet to play for a professional team in South Korea. 토토사이트추천
However, the venue is controversial. The Busan Asiad Stadium is technically the home of Busan I-Park, so why is it in Busan and not Jeonju?
The city of Busan said that the bid has not yet been finalized. An official from the Busan Sports Culture Bureau said, “The hosting of PSG and Jeonbuk at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium has not yet been finalized. The city has asked for cooperation from the Busan I-Park owners,” and said, “I don’t know why the media made it seem like the venue was finalized.”
Busan IPark is in an awkward position with Busan City’s sudden request for a home stadium. “We were contacted by Coupang Play two weeks ago, and we received a request for cooperation from Busan City last Friday (7th),” said an official from Busan I-Park. “We respect Busan City’s position that it will help promote the 2030 World Expo Busan bid, but we are honestly confused every time we are asked to use the stadium.”
The reason why Busan IPark is in trouble is because similar cases have been repeated. Last year, Busan I-Park lost the main stadium for the ASEAN Games to BTS and played its home games at the ASEAN Games Auxiliary Stadium, and it is planning to hold concerts and events in the second half of this year, so it has to give up its home stadium.
The reason why Busan IPark is in trouble is because similar cases have been repeated. Last year, Busan IPark lost its main stadium at the ASIA Games to BTS and played its home games at the ASIA Games’ secondary stadium, and the second half of this year is also being planned to host concerts and events, so it will have to give up its home stadium.
Furthermore, the players and fans of the PSG-Busan match were hurt by the fact that another team came to play the match, excluding the home team, Busan I-Park.
Busan IPark is in third place in the K League 2 this season (34-9 wins, 7 draws, and 3 losses) and is fighting for promotion to the K League 1. The team said that even though they are in the second division, bringing Jeonbuk, a team in the first division, to play against them is demoralizing.
Fans who support Busan IPark also expressed their negative opinions about bringing PSG and Jeonbuk to Busan. P.O.P, the official supporters of Busan IPark, criticized the city’s stance on the match, saying that it was a decision that lost both rationale and practicality.
P.O.P Chairman Moon Dae-jun strongly criticized the city’s decision, saying, “Busan’s decision is a decision without consideration and respect for the affiliated teams.” “It is disrespectful to local teams and fans to give up their home stadium at IPark to a sporting event organized by a private company, and even more so to a team that is not a Busan club,” Moon said.
P.O.P members also announced their intention to take collective action, including one-man protests, if the PSG-North Korea match is forced through. “If the city of Busan holds the PSG-North Korea match at the Asiad main stadium, we will launch a one-man protest to criticize the city’s sports administration,” Moon said.
The city of Busan has taken a step back, seemingly conscious of the criticism of its lack of consideration for local professional teams. Kim Ki-hwan, director of the Busan Culture and Sports Bureau, said, “We are not unilaterally forcing the city to rent the stadium. The city respects Busan IPark’s decision to the fullest,” said Kim. “If Busan I-Park is unwilling to rent the stadium, there is no need to host the PSG game,” Kim reiterated.