[스포츠니어스 | 김현회 기자] It is a big problem that Jeonbuk Hyundai coach Kim Sang-sik left the stadium without a word.
Jeonbuk Hyundai played a home match against Hana One Q K League 1 2022 FC Seoul at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on the 7th. Jeonbuk Hyundai, which is in second place in the league and has to narrow the point gap with league leader Ulsan Hyundai, ended up in a 0-0 draw in this match. It was surprising that FC Seoul, which is undergoing a rebuilding process mainly for young players, and Jeonbuk Hyundai, the highest paid in the league, drew in a draw. This was a really unexpected match result.
The problem arose later. It’s because the fans got up and held it strong. At the stadium, the slogan “Kim Sang-sik out” erupted, and in the end, the fans flocked to the team bus entrance and asked for an interview with CEO Heo Byung-gil with the words “Kim Sang-sik get out”. However, coach Kim Sang-sik got on the bus and left the stadium without saying a word, and CEO Heo Byung-gil did not appear on the scene. After that, fans continued to protest against the brightly lit club office, but in the end, the fans had to leave without hearing from anyone the reason for the recent slump or alternatives.
When a team is sluggish in the K-League, they often block the team bus and protest. Even Gangwon FC fans, who said they were gentle, blocked the squad bus when relegation was imminent after losing to Suwon Samsung in 2012. Suwon Samsung’s fans blocked the team bus twice as far as I can remember and complained about their performance. In 2016, Incheon United also lost 0-1 to Gwangju and the bus was blocked. The Pohang Steelers also requested an interview after the game was over to accuse the coach, who was extremely sluggish during his time as coach Jin-cheol Choi. In FC Seoul and Seoul E-Land, fans blocked the bus and complained violently.
Each time, the team’s response was the same. The director himself came out, grabbed the megaphone, apologized or suggested future alternatives, and had a convincing conversation with the fans. After losing to Suwon Samsung in 2012, Gangwon coach Kim Sang-ho got off the bus when the bus was blocked and promised, “There will be no relegation, so don’t worry” and sent applause and cheering slogans to the squad before disbanding. In 2016, Seongnam FC’s acting coach Goo Guo-bum apologized by kneeling down to his knees in front of the protesting fans in front of the bus. It was a response that made me wonder, ‘Should I do this up to this level? Rather, the fans tried to raise Goo Koo as acting coach.
If the entire squad is on the bus and the fans are blocking the bus, criticizing the performance, it is right for the head coach to get off the bus and convince the fans. That’s what a responsible person looks like. Who wouldn’t want to avoid that place? However, I have often seen the players unite with the motivation to ‘let’s protect the coach’ by watching ‘our coach’ bowing his head while being criticized by the fans. In a way, this is also a message to the team as a coach. The manager is in charge of his performance and he should be able to listen to the fans and express his opinions at any time.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that you come out in front of the bus and ask the director to bow his head. During a match between Bucheon FC and Gyeongnam FC in 2017, a Gyeongnam player held a provocative ceremony towards the Bucheon fans, and after that, the Bucheon fans blocked the Gyeongnam squad bus after the game as a protest. The Bucheon fans and the Gyeongnam team faced each other for three hours, and even the police were dispatched. However, despite the recommendation of a Gyeongnam employee to “Apologize and move on,” at the time, Gyeongnam manager Kim Jong-bu continued the confrontation, saying, “We have done nothing wrong, and we have no intention of apologizing.” Opinions may differ, but I also support this behavior. It’s the director’s opinion that if there’s nothing wrong, just stick with it. Rather, it is a more courageous act to engage with fans like Perez in Busan.
However, this action of director Kim Sang-sik was very disappointing. Apart from Jeonbuk Hyundai’s recent performance, if angry fans raised their voices as a group, it was right to talk to them in some way. In short, “I’m sorry. I will not disappoint you in the rest of the match.” After the match, if we win, the coach starts the press conference with the words “I’m happy to present the victory to the fans” or “I’m sorry to the fans” when we lose, why doesn’t the coach say anything in front of the fans? Director Kim Sang-sik should have said even a few words in front of the fans. If you don’t really like these protests from fans, it’s better to express their opinions as they are.
Fans gathered at the site on that day could not communicate with coach Kim Sang-sik, and the person holding the megaphone searched with a smartphone and read the post-game press conference by coach Kim Sang-sik. What an ironic situation. The director is right in front of him, and the manager shuts his mouth, and it is not common sense for fans to listen to the director while reading the conversations the reporter and the director have had together. If you are the head of a big club called Jeonbuk, you should not only be with the fans when you are happy, but also deal with them wisely. Only then is he qualified as a Jeonbuk coach. If you win, you go to say hello to the fans, and if you lose or lose, you go straight into the locker, which is not good for the leader’s philosophy.
As this happened that day, director Kim Sang-sik said, “I will only talk to a few fans,” but was rejected by Jeonbuk fans. You may think that holding a megaphone in front of a lot of angry fans is shameful and shameful, but if you are the manager of the most loved soccer team in Korea, you should stand in front of many fans even if it is disgraceful. It is absurd that neither the club staff nor the match manager is mediating this. It is an idea that is difficult to understand easily that although you can have a conversation with a few fans separately, you will not stand in front of a lot of fans.
Director Kim Sang-sik’s behavior was also very disappointing, but what is more disappointing is CEO Heo Byung-gil. He asked his fans to come out shouting his name like that, but he didn’t even show his face. cowardly CEO Heo Byung-gil cracks down on the club’s front desk, saying, “Don’t let reporters call me.” The communication channels were completely blocked. If a reporter calls you by any chance, the front desk of the club will be in an uproar. An increasing number of employees complain of extreme stress. If CEO Heo Byung-gil leaves his position like this, what will happen to the team employees working under him? Even on that day, when manager Kim Sang-sik and CEO Huh Byung-gil did not respond, fans shouted at the club’s brightly lit office. When the person who is responsible for speaking out avoids it, the arrows of criticism also return to the hard-working employees.
The director who hides behind him and the CEO who hides behind him and does not even see his face should know that he cannot overcome the situation of Jeonbuk Hyundai with such actions now. Performance may not be good for a few games. You are in 2nd place in the K-League, and you might want to think too much about what kind of dissatisfaction fans have with their performance. However, the problem is that the disappointing process for a huge team called Jeonbuk continues throughout the season. The bigger problem is that the fans who had supported director Kim Sang-sik have now turned their backs and started shouting ‘Common sense out’ together. Director Kim Sang-sik and CEO Heo Byung-gil must answer here. It was very disappointing to see the coach of the biggest club in the K-League boarding the bus silently despite the demands of the fans.