Wolverhampton-Celtic canceled! 2023 overseas soccer teams invited to Korea tour…’a flower that never blooms’

토토사이트With the exception of the Coupang Play matches between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid (ATM), the Korea Tour of famous overseas soccer teams seems to have come to an end this summer.

The Korea tours of famous clubs with Korean leaguers playing abroad, such as Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Lee Kang-in (Real Mallorca), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), and Oh Hyun-kyu (Celtic), were highly anticipated by football fans. However, due to various reasons and lack of preparation by the organizers, they were ultimately canceled, which is very unfortunate for those in the industry.

In addition to Manchester United (2009), where Park Ji-Sung played, FC Barcelona (2010), Bayer Leverkusen (2017), and Tottenham Hotspur (2022) have all heated up the Korean peninsula with summer soccer festivals in July. Famous overseas teams held preseason tours of Korea, filling the Sangam World Cup Stadium with the roar of their fans. Fans traveled to the stadium to cheer on world-class matches, while those who couldn’t get tickets watched from home and enjoyed the fun of midsummer night soccer.

Of course, it’s not always been a success when big-name international teams come to Korea. In 2010, Barcelona’s visit to Korea caused controversy when Lionel Messi was banned from playing. The organizers (Sports & Story) ended up dissolving the company just eight months after it was founded due to poor ticket sales and refunds. And in 2019, the soccer festival turned into a midsummer nightmare when Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo became the ‘star of the show.’ Once again, the organizer, The Festa, disappeared from the memories of soccer fans due to harsh protests, refunds, and lawsuits.

And this time, the StadiumX consortium, which organized the 2023 Korea Tour, has become ‘a flower that never blooms’, unlike the previous failures, judging by the progress to date. This is a huge disappointment for soccer fans who have been waiting for this matchup with the expectation of seeing the Taegeuk Warriors, including Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, and Oh Hyun-gyu, who have played in Europe. The disappointment of the management agencies that prepared this event is also greater than ever.

It has been pointed out that the organizers who have been planning the 2023 Korea Tour, such as attracting investments such as down payments and analyzing business feasibility, have not made thorough preparations and countermeasures. The stricter tournament approval regulations and procedures of the Korean Football Association, such as the sudden application of a deposit that was not applied to last year’s Coupang Series after the ‘Nalgangdu incident’ in 2019, also acted as a major barrier to entry. The lack of communication between the organizers and the Football Association was another reason for the cancellation of the Midsummer Night Football Festival.

After this incident, the possibility of a monopoly of foreign club teams visiting Korea has been raised, and it is predicted that only companies that can prove sufficient equity capital will be able to participate. Sports marketing companies planning tours to Korea will have to analyze and prepare thoroughly, using this year’s case as a reference point.

It is also necessary for organizations and companies to work together for soccer fans. It is hoped that a framework will be drawn to reduce regulations and build a win-win situation for mutual growth in terms of meeting the expectations of soccer fans and revitalizing the related soccer industry.