As a result of predicted success, Korea is not an environment to be held in Asia (SS Focus)

Sports | soccer

(Sports Seoul | Reporter Jung Doo) The success of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) is no coincidence.

A total of 32,136 spectators entered the six matches of the East Asian Cup men’s match at Yongin Mirstadium on July 7-15. There are only 5356 people per game. There is no game that has exceeded 10,000 people except one day before. It can be seen as a competition that failed to hit. This is not to be mentioned by this woman’s situation.

Of course, the East Asian Cup did not have the requirement to hit the hit. Only 38,378 spectators came in three years ago. There is no big difference from this competition. There was an aftermath of Corona 19 Fan Demick, but it’s hard to see as a popular content.

In particular, Korea and Japan do not participate in the Europeans, the head of the team. As the national team is focused on domestic waves, it is bound to fall from the topic. In 2019, 4,181 spectators entered the Busan competition, a little over 7,000 people. At the time, there was no European group, but there were currently major players such as Kim Min -jae and Hwang In -bum.

As a result, the voice that comes from the competition and points out the failure of the competition is new. There is no reason to do some expectations.

However, there is a point to think about. What would it be like the Asian World Cup Asian Cup, which is held every four years, not the East Asian Cup, which is mandatory.

Chung Mong -kyu, chairman of the Korean Football Association, aims to hold the Asian Cup throughout his term, but is not meaningful. In 2022, Chung struggled to attract the Asian Cup instead of China, who gave up the competition with Corona 19, but his right was headed for Qatar. Chairman Chung, who succeeded in the fourth consecutive year earlier this year, made the Asian Cup again as a major pledge. It is to hold a 2031 competition in Korea.

In the 2015 Australian Asian Cup, which is one of the successful competitions, only six games did not achieve 10,000 spectators. It is a contest with the characteristics of multicultural and multi -ethnic countries and the advantages of tourist destinations in the summer of January. In 2019, the Arab Emirates and the 2023 Qatar Congress were the strengths of the West Asian dense countries. The average audience of Qatar Asian Cup, which saved the World Cup infrastructure, reached 29,565.

Although the global status has risen with the K-Culture recently, it is unlikely that the Asian Cup is held in Korea. The Korean economy, where Europeans work, will be popular, but other economies are not likely. In order to raise the average spectator, there must be no expedition fans, but also their own crowds. Can the unfamiliar national game, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Uzbekistan, attract great attention in Korea?

The Asian Cup is not just for hosting or Korea. It is a festival of Asia, with a total of 24 countries. The Asian Football Federation (AFC), who knows the weaknesses of Korea with weak ticket power, cannot worry about this. This is why it failed to attract.

In addition, Korea does not follow other countries in terms of sports marketing. In addition to the East Asian Cup, there are no domestic companies that are currently participating as AFC sponsors. Korea’s justification for the success, popularity, and finances is significantly reduced. Basically, it means that Korea is not an environment to hold the Asian soccer competition. weo@sportsseoul.com