Hong Myung-bo and Amano Derby… The K-League box office is on fire
The hot issue in the off-season K-League is, of course, Amano Jun’s transfer to Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Last season, Amano, who played for Yokohama in the Japanese J-League, joined the K-League for the first time as a loaner and contributed greatly to Ulsan Hyundai’s first championship in 17 years.
It was Amano, who seemed to be extending the lease, but rumors circulated that he would transfer from last November, and eventually an official announcement was made that he would wear the Jeonbuk Hyundai uniform this season.
It was regrettable for Ulsan fans, but it seemed like they were accepting the transfer to Jeonbuk, which offered better conditions. 스포츠토토
In a meeting with the media ahead of winter training on the 11th, coach Hong did not hide his uncomfortable feeling with a radical expression of “the worst Japanese player I know” toward Amano. Afterwards, the Jeonbuk club and Amano came to an explanation, and Ulsan also continued a battle to refute.
The Jeonbuk club is in the position that there is no problem with the transfer after one year because Amano is on loan, and Ulsan has discussed renewing the contract since last season, but criticized Amano for violating the normalcy.
The ‘Amano transfer’ sparked by manager Hong Myung-bo is the biggest topic of the K-League offseason that is still ongoing. Above all, with the addition of a relationship that has rapidly emerged as the league’s best rival, it is enough to become firewood to burn the fighting power in the cold winter for fans who support the two teams.
In fact, issue-making outside the arena is also a very important factor in the success of professional sports. The game itself provides a lot of fun, but if the narrative that stimulates the desire to compete is added, the box office explosion is a predicted step.
Among them, the transfer of a player is a great subject to attract a lot of attention. From the perspective of fans of the original team, the two words “betrayal” are bound to stick in their minds, and they can freely pour out such expressions of anger in the arena.
Stirring up controversy related to player transfers is also common in European leagues. A representative example is the transfer of Ashley Cole, which was the biggest issue in the Premier League in 2006. Cole, who was at Arsenal, was dissatisfied with his wages and chose to join London rivals Chelsea.
Arsenal fans always booed when Ashley Cole played and caught the ball in the Chelsea game, and created a savage atmosphere to the point that police forces were deployed. And Arsenal and Chelsea formed a rivalry representing the EPL, drawing attention from soccer fans around the world.
The K-League is no different. Ulsan and Jeonbuk’s ‘Hyundai Family Derby’ is already paying attention to box office success with the addition of Amano’s transfer, and the confrontation between the two teams is scheduled for the official opening match of the K-League on the 25th of next month, so it couldn’t be better. This is why many expectations are focused on the 2023 K-League, which will burn from the start.