Ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.04.22 10:55
The English Premier League (EPL), where Park Ji-sung (Manchester United) was once active and Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) is currently playing, is the best soccer league in the world in both name and reality. EPL ranks first in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) clubs, which determines the number of teams participating in the Champions League and other club competitions, except for one of the past five seasons (2019-20 season). rice field. Two teams from EPL, Manchester City and Liverpool, have entered the Champions League in the top four this season as well.
The English Premier League was not initially the current name. England started the world’s first league in 1888, befitting a football suzerain. At that time, it was just a “soccer league (The Football League)”. The league, which started with 12 teams, gradually expanded. By the end of the 1980s, nearly 100 years later, the number had increased to 30 teams. It was not easy to maintain a level that fits the scale. The quality of the game has declined, and the competitiveness has naturally declined. The Football Association of England (FA) has taken special steps. In 1991, he started a new league consisting of 20 teams. That is the Premier League. The first season started in August 1992 and continues to the present day.
I talked about a distant country because of the Korean professional baseball KBO League in the face of crisis. The number of spectators in the professional baseball game Kiwoom Heroes-NC Dinos at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 12th was only 774. It is said to be the minimum number of spectators in the home since the establishment of the Heroes (Kiwoo) baseball team. Together with other teams, it is the second lowest after the Kia-Lotte match (649 players) held in Gwangju on September 14, 2012. I also look for the cause of the problems that both Kiwoom and NC teams have had in the last few years. However, the number of spectators of other teams is not large this season.
The Korean KBO League, which started with 6 teams in 1982, became 7 teams (Pingle) in 1986 and 8 teams (Ssangbangwool) in 1991. It increased to 9 teams (NC) in 2011 and 10 teams (KT) in 2013, and became the current system. In fact, since the establishment of the NC team, there have been voices of caution regarding the expansion of the league. I was worried about whether he had the ability to supply and demand players and maintain his skills. The new corona situation and changing youth interests also had an impact. It’s time to think deeply about the competitiveness of the league. It doesn’t mean that you can reduce the number of teams like in the Premier League, but you have to worry as much as “cutting the bones”.
There is now a “black history” in Jeonbuk Hyundai, the highest team in the professional soccer K-League. In the 2001 season, Jeonbuk wandered to the bottom with no win. It was the time when Jeonju Sports Ground was home. One day in hot August, an official of the Jeonbuk baseball team said. “Because it’s hot, I have to give out hard (ice cream) to the fans one by one. For 500 won each, the number of spectators will not reach 500, so 250,000 won will be enough.” When I heard the number of spectators at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 12th, I suddenly remembered the ice cream 20 years ago.
Chang Hess / Content Production Editor
