For fans of professional soccer’s Suwon Samsung, snow is the stuff of romance.On December 7, 2008, in the second leg of the K League Championship Final at Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon defeated FC Seoul 2-1 to clinch the title.It was snowing heavily at the end of the game. The heavens seemed to be celebrating.Suwon hasn’t won a league title since, and every year when the “first snow” falls, fans think back to that fiery winter of 2008.On the morning of the 2023 season’s K League 1 final, there were a couple of flurries in the Suwon sky, but by noon, it was no longer snowing.Suwon had to settle for a 0-0 draw with Gangwon and suffer the humiliation of their first ever relegation to the K League 2 (2nd Division). A win would have put them in the relegation playoffs and allowed them to challenge for a spot in the top flight, but their lethargic play ultimately backfired.The mood was good before the game.The supporters’ section was packed an hour before kickoff. Fans showed their support for the Suwon team with red heart-shaped card sections.Suwon was on a roll, having won their previous two games.
Kim Mo-kun, a high school student who attended the game with his friends, said, “Suwon finally got into a groove at the end. Kim Joo-chan will score and we will win,” he shouted.The Suwon fans cheered their players to the top of their lungs, and while Kangwon had the advantage on the field, the crowd support was overwhelmingly in their favor.When Suwon FC equalized in the fifth minute of stoppage time to drop Suwon back to the bottom of the live leaderboard after trailing 0-1 at the same time at the Suwon Sports Complex, the fans became even more desperate.The chants that rang out until late stoppage time died down as if the referee had hit the mute button. Suwon fans everywhere wiped away tears.Sadness quickly turned to anger. The supporters sang the “go out and die” chant for the opposing team towards the Suwon players.CEO Lee Jun, acting head coach Yeom Ki-hoon, head coach Oh Dong-seok, and Kim Bo-kyung took the microphone to apologize to the fans.When that didn’t work, the supporters threw a couple of lit incense sticks onto the field, and the corridor between the field, locker room, and press conference hall reeked with the acrid smell of incense.Police were reportedly on hand to keep an eye on the fans, fearing that if Suwon were relegated, they might start a riot.However, only a few dozen fans confronted the police at the entrance to the club’s office, and nothing serious happened.Most of the fans, who had 온라인카지노 been facing the “specter of relegation” all season, seemed to have accepted the “reality” early and went home quietly.