Location: Changwon Soccer Center
Date: 4th March 2012 (5.00pm)
Daejeon Citizen start the 2012 K-League under a cloud of controversy following the shocking events of the last few days. The club's handling of legendary goalkeeper Choi Eun-Sung's departure has left a sour taste in many fan's mouths and mass protests are planned for this game.
The outpouring of anger at the Daejeon boardroom and the subsequent division that is likely to follow between the club's hierarchy and it's fans is sure to make a fascinating backdrop to an otherwise uninspiring encounter between two sides who will surely be focusing on keeping out of the bottom 8 rather than challenging for honours this season.
Daejeon will hope that despite visa issues, they will be able to name new foreign recruits Kevin Oris and Leonardo Ferreira in their starting lineup. It emerged on Friday that the club has been fined 10 million Korean won (£5600) for failing to register their players with the correct visas. The club has blamed a junior staff member for the oversight and insist that the issue has been resolved.
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| Kevin Oris |
It is unclear who will replace Choi in goal, but ex-Gyeongnam 'keeper Kim Sun-Kyu is probably the favourite. If Kim does indeed start, he will make his Citizen debut against the team from which he was signed, adding another interesting twist to this encounter.
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| Kim could face his former club |
Gyeongnam are not without issues themselves, most notably the loss of Korean international Yoon Bit Garam to Seongnam. They also lost key defender Kim Ju-Yeong to FC Seoul but seem to have done good business in the transfer market. Overall, their squad seems to be at a similar level to last season, when they finished in 8th position.
The Stadium
Gyeongnam play at the Changwon Soccer Center which is located in Changwon city, around one hour from Busan. It is a newly constructed, football specific stadium which holds 15,000 fans. It is certainly one of the best stadiums in the league and I would highly recommend a trip.
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| Changwon Soccer Center |
How to Get There
KTX trains leave Daejeon station arriving at Changwon Jungang station in a little over 2 hours. Tickets costs around 27,500 won each way. Alternatively the slower Mugunghwa trains take 3 hours and cost around 18,000 won. There are regular bus services from the station to the stadium. A taxi should cost less than 10,000 won.
The Daejeon Citizen official supporters coach is also an option for this game. It probably represents the best value for money as a round trip ticket, including admission to the stadium, costs only 15,000 won.
Extra Information
Any fans planning to travel should remember that a silent protest calling for the resignation of the Daejeon board of directors is taking place at this game.
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