With no A match atmosphere at all, will Yongin Mir Stadium be full of cheering.
The Korean men's national soccer team led by head coach Hong Myung-bo will have a showdown with Jordan in the third Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea, China and the U.S. and Mexico, which will take place at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea time). After returning home from the match against Jordan, the team will have a showdown with Iraq at 8 p.m. on the 15th at Yongin Mir Stadium.스포츠토토
Currently, Korean soccer is in chaos. Although the K-League has recorded record-high box office hits and players are making inroads into many parts of Europe, the Hong Myung-bo scandal from the Korea Football Association has sparked various controversies. Due to the controversy over the unfair appointment, he even asked questions about pending issues at the National Assembly, which escalated criticism and the situation escalated. An interim audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism concluded that the appointment of Hong Myung-bo was an unfair appointment that violated procedures.
The Korea Football Association refuted the result of the inspection. On top of that, FIFA sent an official letter to the Korea Football Association urging the association to secure autonomy, mentioning questions and audits on pending issues at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Controversy has flared up over players and soccer, which deserve attention, as well as new issues.
In conclusion, there is no atmosphere of an A-match. After the September A-match, the Korea Football Association and Coach Hong Myung-bo prepared for the October A-match in a chaotic mood due to the National Assembly's audit and inspection. The team sent a coach to Europe to observe the players before making the selection, and sent coaches to various K-League matches in Korea, and Coach Hong Myung-bo himself went to various places to cover up the situation. However, there are concerns because the selection was made in a chaotic situation.
They have a showdown at home with Iraq after their away match in Jordan, but they will play at Yongin Mir Stadium, not at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Due to grass problems, they looked into other stadiums and chose Yongin Mir Stadium, which is relatively close to them. Yongin Mir Stadium is currently being used as a temporary home stadium by Suwon Samsung. Although they played A-match games for both ages and women, they had never played A-match games for men's A-team.
The grass is observed compared to other stadiums, but accessibility and transportation are the worst. There is also a lack of parking space and surrounding facilities are difficult for fans to enjoy comfortably. Even if Yongin City and the Korea Football Association make efforts, there will be limitations. Many say that fans are already complaining of inconvenience as it will be held on weekdays evening.
Until June right now, the A-match was sold out just by opening reservations and boasted huge enthusiasm. It was hit hard after the Hong Myung-bo incident while using the most popularity, and in September, it was tied with Palestine in the worst atmosphere while failing to sell out. Yongin Mir Stadium, which has a smaller capacity than the Seoul World Cup Stadium, has a serious decrease in convenience, but questions are being raised about whether the A-match fever will be revived again and whether it will succeed in selling out this time.
In addition, superstar Son Heung-min is not coming. The Korea Football Association announced on Monday that Son needs rest due to his left thigh injury, which has led to the final decision to exclude him from the October call-up. Hong Hyun-suk (Mainz) will be substituted for the replacement. The absence of Son will cause serious problems in the team's competitiveness as well as its success.
If there is no A-match atmosphere like a festival and the entrance fee revenue or the game management is affected, the Korea Football Association under Chairman Chung Mong-kyu will be hit harder. The Korea Football Association is preparing for the match against Iraq.