AFC calls for change of home stadium or improvement measures for Seoul W
Iraq War Location to be Decided on October 15th, 25th at the Early Date
There is a possibility that the national soccer team led by coach Hong Myung-bo will hold its home match against Iraq in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers on October 15th at a location other than Seoul World Cup Stadium.
A Korea Football Association (KFA) official told News 1, “After the Palestine match, the match supervisor reported to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) about the condition of the grass, etc.” and “The AFC sent us an official document asking us to suggest other stadiums for the Iraq match or submit a detailed plan to improve the grass at Seoul World Cup Stadium.”
Seoul World Cup Stadium, the home stadium of the Korean national soccer team and the holy ground of Korean soccer, has been suffering from severe damage to its grass due to recent heat waves and external events.
In the first match of the third round of the World Cup qualifiers held here on the 5th, against Palestine (0-0 draw), the players made many missed passes due to the damaged grass, putting them at risk of injury, and hindering their good performance.
Captain Son Heung-min complained after the match, saying, “Players with good skills had difficulty controlling the ball and dribbling (because of the grass).”
After the second match against Oman on the 10th (3-1 win), he made a statement of determination, saying, “The grass here is in such good condition that I played with confidence. I hope the grass at the home stadium improves as well.”
The KFA has submitted to the AFC that it will hold the home games in October at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. However, the AFC has pointed out that the venue cannot be approved in this state.
A KFA official explained, “After the Palestine match, we had already discussed ways to improve the grass with the Seoul Facilities Management Corporation, and we were preparing a ‘two-track’ countermeasure, including having KFA grass experts inspect other stadiums in the metropolitan area.” He continued, “However, since the date suggested by the AFC was somewhat tight, we replied that we would give an answer by the 25th. (The venue) will be decided by the 25th at the latest.”
For the KFA, the best-case scenario would be to improve the grass at Seoul World Cup Stadium, which is the team’s home stadium and has the largest capacity with 64,000 seats.
However, with Chuseok approaching and the heat wave still continuing, and superstar IU’s concert scheduled for the end of September, there are realistic limits to the recovery of the grass.
The KFA is considering holding the match against Iraq at stadiums in the metropolitan area, such as Yongin, Ansan, and Cheonan, in case the conditions at Seoul World Cup Stadium are not favorable.
A KFA official said, “For the replacement stadium, not only must the grass be in good condition, but it must also have the right distance from the surrounding hotels, training grounds, and airport, as well as lighting facilities suitable for hosting A matches. We are comprehensively looking into all of these points.”
(Seoul = News 1)
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2024-09-14 19:04:26