About two weeks ago, the K League welcomed spectators back to stadiums for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 era.
In the beginning, it was just 10% of stadiums capacity, and later on, the K League eyed that 25% of the spectators to be back. Eating and drinking were strictly prohibited, chanting was not allowed, and people had to keep social distancing measures. Personnel wearing outfits that present away team’s symbol couldn’t enter the stadium. Despite these various regulations, fans pretty much obeyed them well, and the league seemed to operate correctly.
Now there is a severe threat to shift back to closed-door games. Moreover, the possibility of suspension still exists. It is not because the league failed to keep safety measures, but a massive outbreak caused by pseudo-church unexpectedly has put everything in risk.
On 15 Aug, the number of confirmed cases hit 279, which was the highest number and the first day to reach 200+ cases in past 161 days. Most of these cases were infected in two churches. Youngin Woori Jeil Church and Seoul Sarangjeil Presbyterian Church. According to reports, the mass infection arrived from the latter, and its pastor, Jeon Kwang-hoon, is marked as in charge.
After the first outbreak, pastor Jeon and his church defied quarantine regulations. Moreover, pastor Jeon attended a mass anti-government protest which held in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, and delivered a speech in front of around 30,000 people. He didn’t wear a mask, neither most of the participants.
Rather than admitting his guilt, Jeon blamed others for this spread, such as government and North Korea. Besides, members of the church who tested positive aren’t cooperating with health officials by refusing to be quarantined. Pastor Jeon himself also tested positive for COVID-19.
Since the first outbreak, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has raised the level of social distancing to level 2 around the Seoul metropolitan area and Busan. This decision prohibits indoor activities with 50 or more people and outdoor gatherings with 100+ participants.
The health authorities’ decision affects football, as well. Regulation states if the status rises to level two, all sports events must be held behind closed doors. Teams from cities with more strict social distancing regulations have switched back to closed-door matches.
In K Leauge 1, FC Seoul, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Seongnam FC, Incheon United, Daegu FC and Busan IPark are the clubs who have done so. Suwon FC, Seoul E Land, Bucheon FC 1995, FC Anyang, Chungnam Asan FC and Ansan Greeners in K League 2 will have closed-door games. This decision will be applied right away, starting from this weekend’s fixture.
Of course, every single person in this field would not welcome this decision, but especially those related to Incheon United would oppose it the most. After 15 winless games, Incheon finally grabbed the first victory of the season against Daegu. Under the new manager Cho Sung-hwan, Montenegrin international Stefan Mugosa’s winning goal differentiated two teams. But the game took place at DGB Daegu Bank Park, which means Incheon are still keen to show their home fans a win.
Still, there is the possibility of suspending the league.
If the level of social distancing goes up to 3, all sports leagues will stop. It is only one step away.
Photo is a screenshot via a Twitter account.
