This time, fans of Suwon Samsung and FC are all asking, “What are you talking about” due to the rumor of ‘joint use of the stadium’

 Fans of Suwon Samsung, a professional soccer team, have been upset since the club was relegated to the second division for the first time in its history, and have been upset since the beginning of the year over the untimely rumor of 'sharing the Suwon World Cup Stadium'. Suwon FC fans, who are from the same hometown, also expressed their dissatisfaction.

The fans' outrage

started with a report on Suwon FC's general manager Choi Soon-ho's comment about the joint use of Suwon World Cup Stadium, which he described as 'two families under one roof'. Director Choi's intention was that if the older brother, Suwon Samsung, founded in 1995, decides to share the stadium with its 'younger brother' Suwon FC in consideration, it would be a step forward for the development of Suwon's soccer culture and for Korean soccer fans.

Suwon FC, a foundation founded by Suwon City Hall, an industrial team founded in 2003, turned professional and participated in the second division since 2013, when the K-League relegation system was first implemented. After being promoted to the first division in 2016, it has played a role in promoting Suwon as a 'soccer city' along with the Bluewings, but is known to be suffering from quite a few problems due to the aging of its home stadium, Suwon Sports Complex.

While Suwon Sports Complex opened in 1971, Suwon World Cup Stadium opened in 2001 ahead of the Korea-Japan World Cup. It is reported that some of the stands at Suwon Sports Complex have limited visibility, there are still many squatting toilets in the restrooms, and internal amenities for spectators are lacking.

Director Choi's remarks ended up irritating Suwon Samsung fans who were otherwise uncomfortable. Suwon FC fans also did not readily accept the situation of sharing their home stadium with a team from the same hometown. A backlash erupted among Suwon Samsung fans, who said they were already feeling very uncomfortable due to the relegation, but were also suffering the humiliation of having their home turf overrun by others, and most Suwon FC fans also showed a negative reaction, saying, "I have no desire to leave the Suwon Sports Complex, where memories are made." .

Suwon Samsung Club made its opposition clear, saying it had not received a proposal for joint use of the stadium and had never discussed it. It is known that sharing the stadium is an issue directly related to the club's right to survive. Suwon FC officials also explained in a recent phone call that Manager Choi's personal opinion had been misrepresented and that nothing had been decided regarding joint use of the stadium.

The operator of Suwon World Cup Stadium is the Gyeonggi-do Suwon World Cup Stadium Management Foundation, not Suwon Samsung. According to the foundation's regulations, anyone can apply for rental. As long as the two teams' home games do not overlap, Suwon FC's rental seems to be no problem. However, it seems difficult to ignore the sentiment of soccer fans who connect the stadium with the identity of the club.

Suwon Samsung has to leave for a while due to lawn maintenance... Alternative site not yet determined

. In fact, Suwon Samsung and Suwon FC shared the Suwon World Cup Stadium in 2014 and 2021. At that time, there was a special situation in which the grass at Suwon Sports Complex had to be repaired, and it was a temporary cohabitation of about half a year. To that extent, it seems that Suwon Samsung was able to accept joint use on a Mahayana level.

Suwon Samsung is also known to have no choice but to welcome fans at other stadiums starting in August. This is because turf replacement work at Suwon World Cup Stadium is scheduled for this period. Mir Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, etc. are mentioned as alternative candidates, but it is said that no decision has been made yet.

An official from the Suwon World Cup Stadium Management Foundation previously attended the Culture, Sports and Education Committee meeting held at the Suwon City Council in Gyeonggi Province in November of last year and said, “The stadium’s turf is replaced 15 years after completion, but Suwon World Cup Stadium has not been under construction even after 20 years.” He complained that the situation was serious, saying, “It’s like applying cosmetics to the grass.”

In response to this official saying, “Replacing the turf is inevitable,” Suwon City Council member Park Young-tae asked, “Will we have no choice but to share the Suwon Sports Complex?” Then, the official said, “I don’t think it’s an appropriate answer for me to give,” and refrained from saying, “It’s a matter for the club to decide.”

Shared use of stadiums is a common practice in overseas professional soccer. Representative examples include Inter Milan, AC Milan, AS Roma, Lazio, Genoa, and Sampdoria (second division), which belong to Serie A, the first division of Italian professional soccer. In the Belgian first division Jupiler League, Brugge-based clubs Club Brugge and Cercleur Brugge have been sharing the Jan Breidel Stadium since 1975.

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