Asia

The Goal.com Asian Football Countdown To 2012: South Korea

Entering the top three of our countdown, Goal.com studies South Korea, a country that had ups and downs internationally but an exciting domestic year in spite of scandal

29-Dec-2011 2:46:00 PM

More On : Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, South Korea, South Korea Under 20, South Korea Under 23, Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC

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Mahmoud maher

SPECIAL
By Kim Hyun-Min

INTRODUCTION

Korean football had an eventful 2011 that included many highs and lows. From the match-fixing scandal that resulted in multiple players recieving bans to the firing of national team manager Cho Kwang-Rae, there were several events that supporters of the Taeguk Warriors will want to put behind them. However play at the domestic level, particularly Jeonbuk Motors' brand of 'never-ending attacking', enthralled fans of the K-League.

NATIONAL TEAMS

South Korea kicked off the year with the Asian Cup in Qatar. They reached the semi-final, but were eliminated by eventual winners Japan on penalty kicks. But after the disappointment came a scoreless draw against Turkey and wins against Honduras, Serbia and Ghana that built a positive reputation for manager Cho.

A 3-0 friendly defeat against Japan brought harsh criticism from the media, which only intensified after a 2-1 loss to Lebanon in November. With Korea's eighth consecutive World Cup finals appearance no longer as sure a thing as hoped, the Korean Football Association decided to sack Cho and replace him with Jeonbuk Motors coach Choi Kang-Hee.

Meanwhile, the Korean Under-23 National team is on the verge of a 2012 London Olympics trip after beating Oman and Saudi Arabia and drawing with Qatar. The Under-20 team advanced to the Round of 16 in the Youth World Cup, only to lose to Spain on penalties.

DOMESTIC LEAGUES AND CUPS

It was a very eventful year for K-League. In Maym the match fixing scandal rocked the whole country and shocked many Korean fans. Some even called for the league to go on hiatus, and famous stars such as Choi Sung-Kuk and Kim Dong-Hyun were banned from football forever. Sangju Sangmu manager Lee Soo-Chul and Seoul United player Jung Jong-Kwan committed suicide after the scandal was brought to light, shocking the nation once again.

However, there were also pleasant memories as well. The keyword for last season was 'Gung-ho'. Jeonbuk managed to play eye-watering football, winning the league and reaching the finals of the AFC Champions League.

The winner of the league cup was Ulsan Hyundai and the FA cup champions were Seongnam Ilhwa. Suwon Samsung had a chance to achieve a quadruple, but failed in every competition. They reached the finals for the League cup and FA cup, but lost in both games and bowed out in the semifinals of the ACL and K-league play-offs. Suwon fell victim to eventual champions Al-Sadd's ill-mannered play during the first leg of the ACL semifinals, bringing them sympathy from fans around the world.

PLAYERS ABROAD

Korean captain Park Chu-Young joined Arsenal, but didn't live up to expectations and is still yet to play in the Premier League. Park Ji-Sung is a rotation member inside the Manchester United squad, while Sunderland's Ji Dong-Won is slowly adapting to the English game with mostly cameo appearances.

A lot was expected from Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong ,but he suffered a horrible injury during the pre-season and will probably return during February.

Ki Sung-Yueng and Cha Du-Ri has played major parts in Celtic's season. Ki especially is now one of their most important players.

Son Heung-Min (Hamburger) and Koo Ja-Cheol (Wolfsburg) have had their fair share of chances in the Bundesliga, but Nam Tae-Hee and Jung Jo-Gook, who are playing in Ligue 1, haven't had many opportunities to play.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR | Ki Sung-Yueng, Celtic and national team

The player of the year is Ki Sung-Yueng. He scored the opening goal for Celtic during the Scottish cup final against Motherwell, which they ultimately won. During the 11/12 season, Ki scored five goals and provided four assists. He even scored a goal in the Europa League, against Udinese via a penalty kick.

Ki not only contributed to his club, but was the most important member of Cho Kwang-Rae's Korean national team. He has been the backbone of the team linking defence and offence, and was the most consistent player throughout the World Cup qualifying campaign.

MOMENT OF THE YEAR | Park Ji-Sung departs from the international stage

Park was been a core member of the national team since the 2002 World Cup, but is now fully retired from international duty. He's concentrating on his life with his club, whilst also doing charity work for children around the Asian continent. He held a charity match for Vietnamese children last June.

With 100 caps to his name, Park's international retirement will allow the Taeguk Warriors to bring in the next generation of footballers. They'll have considerably big shoes to fill.

WISHES FOR SOUTH KOREAN FOOTBALL IN 2012

The next year will see a wave of change in Korean football; in 2012 the K-League will introduce promotion-relegation in a 'Split League' format similar to that of the Scottish Premier League. Successful integration of promotion and relegation will be key for the further development of the league.

Furthermore, South Korea will have qualification matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2012 London Olympics. If they can achieve a medal in London, it would be a historic moment in Korean football.