The South Korean season ended just as winter started. The weekend of the championship play-off final second leg dawned with temperatures in some parts of the peninsula approaching 20 below. The cities of Suwon and Seoul were not far behind. As the snow fell in the second half of the second leg of he championship decider between Suwon Samsung Bluewings and FC Seoul on Sunday afternoon, few of the 41,000 fans present noticed –some were bare-chested and many short-sleeved. The atmosphere was red-hot and the action on the pitch riveting as Suwon won 2-1 to take the final 3-2 on aggregate and the trophy for a fourth time. As the final whistle blew, the Seoul stars sank to their knees, Suwon’s hugged as if their lives depended on it and the man in charge of the PA pressed the button that piped out the inevitable opening strains of ‘we are the champions’. It was a worthy win for Suwon, a team that spent the majority of the season in first place. Seoul have a talented and youthful team but don’t yet have Suwon’s savvy or swagger. That will come as the likes of Ki Sung-yung, Lee Chung-yung and Lee Sung-ryeol will get better, though a move to Europe is only a matter of time. Suwon have been there and seen it but even among the club’s passionate fans, few would have experienced an atmosphere like the one conjured on a Sunday when the north, east and west sides were blue and the south red. “I told the players that they are the real champions,” a jubilant Cha Bum-keun told reporters after the match. “We struggled during the middle part of the season but because of the players, we came thrugh it to win the K-League as well as the League Cup. They have played hard all season and have won 25 games in all competitions and have scored lots of goals. I told them not to forget all they have done this season.” They are not likely to forget the win or the fight they were given by their bitter rivals. Like the first leg in Seoul four days previously, there was little to choose between the two. Edu, the bearded and talented Brazilian, shot the Bluewings into the lead after just 11 minutes. It has been a good season for the affable attacker and his shot from the edge of the area was always destined for the bottom corner. Seoul equalized just 14 minutes later. Lee Chung-yung went to ground a little too easily under the challenge of international colleague Lee Woon-jae. The German referee pointed to the spot and Jung Jo-gook, known as the patriot, made it look easy. The game was balanced on a knife-edge. The two finished the regular season occupying the top two spots in the league standings, had defeated the other once each and were exactly level in the final. There was a sense that one more goal would win it and so it proved. For some reason Kim Chi-gon lunged into a tackle deep inside the penalty area, Edu was quite happy to fall over Kim’s leg to win a penalty. Song Chong-guk may not be the star that he was in 2002 when he was named by many as South Korea’s best player of the World Cup but he was the toast of Suwon on Sunday night. His penalty was initially saved by Kim Ho-jun but Song reacted first to the loose ball to score what proved to be the winner. As Seoul tried its best to restore parity, tempers between the two rival teams rose as the sands of second half time fell along with the snow. “I would like to congratulate Suwon but after watching both games, we should have won. I am sorry for the club and the fans. If we had won, our young players would have gained lots of confidence,” Seoul boss Senol Gunes said after the match. “In the first game, we lacked in the physical department but in the second leg our passing was off. We got some chances in the second half but weren’t able to finish. The players tried their best and fought well. It was great to see so many Seoul fans in the stadium on a very cold day." Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

It was a year ago when the news started to break. Reporters from Korean internet company Newsis traveled to Jakarta to visit a ‘room salon’ and chat with the female staff. The story soon unfolded of how, during the 2007 Asian Cup held that July, four South Korean national team players visited the establishment on two occasions and drank until dawn - once before a vital game against Bahrain and then once after, following the shock 2-1 defeat. Goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, defender Kim Sang-sik and strikers Lee Dong-guk and Woo Sung-young were the senior members of the squad and the anger and disappointment at home was widespread. The Korean FA acted quickly and banned the quartet from national team duty for a year. Weeks before the ban ended, a debate started. It asked whether there should be a recall for the foursome for the Saudi Arabian 2010 World Cup qualifier on November 19. Woo, at 34, would not have been in the picture anyway and only made the Asian Cup squad due to a number of injuries. Kim is 33 in January and is one of the K-League’s more accomplished players but with a number of youngsters on the rise, his time is probably over. Left were the two Lees and only one got in. Lee Woon-jae was the Asian Cup captain and at 35, is the oldest of the lot. He is also still the best goalkeeper in the K-League and hasn’t been adequately replaced. Kim Yong-dae, Kim Young-kwang and Jung Sung-ryeong have all donned the gloves but none have done enough to stop coach Huh Jung-moo pining for old faithful. After a disappointing 2-2 draw against Jordan in May, Huh told reporters that he wanted Lee back –more than six months ahead of time. "The situations which we allowed the goals weren't understandable," Huh told reporters. "The coaching staff has been discussing whether to request for Lee's reinstatement for sometime now,'' he said. "Lee has been playing well in the K-League, and those who perform on the pitch should get a chance to represent their country." Lee had been playing well but it was precisely his performances away from the pitch that stopped him from playing. The KFA refused Huh’s request, leading the boss to pretend that he hadn’t really made it in the first place. Ironically, if Huh had kept quiet for some time longer, the KFA probably would have ended the ban a little early. But after Huh’s comments, the governing body was keen to be seen to be strict. Lee Dong-guk was in England when the news of the Jakarta high jinks broke and was spared the tearful press conference at KFA house. He was also spared the hours of community service that the others did –though it could be argued that he has already served his time due to his 18 months in England helping other strikers look good -until he came back to the K-League in the summer to join Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. That all changed at the start of the month with two goals in two games and with Lee seemingly back in the groove, his name is in the headlines and there are calls for him to be reinstated to the national team. Not just yet however. “Lee has to complete his 40 hours of community service before he can be considered for the South Korean national team,” said a KFA spokesman after the ex-international striker scored a second goal in successive games. It is not a desperate situation. After seven goals in the last two national team games – four from young hotshot Lee Keun-ho – coach Huh would be sending the wrong message summoning the Lion King so soon. The existing strikers have at least earned the right to lead the line in Riyadh on November 19. There is then a wait of three months for the game in Iran – if Lee continues playing well for Seongnam until the end of the season and completes his community service then there may still be a chance. But that is not a given. After a poor display and a number of missed chances against title rivals FC Seoul on Sunday and spending Saturday’s defeat against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on the bench, it may be some time before the Lion King gets a chance to roar in the shirt of the Taeguk Warriors. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Another weekend gone and one more match closer to the 2010 World Cup. June is almost over and a place in the final round of world cup qualification is assured. It is time to take stock of a busy period that has raised a number of questions. The main issue is how the Taeguk Warriors will fare against stronger opposition when the action resumes in September. On Friday, the ten Asian teams that survived the just-finished third round will be split into two groups of five. The top two from each group will automatically book their places in South Africa. The two third-placed teams play-off for the right to face Oceania’s representative –the winner of that match goes to the World Cup. Confused? Well, then you know how the Korean defence has felt on a regular basis in the past few weeks. At times the backline has struggled against the attacks of Turkmenistan and Jordan, so it is worrying to consider what may happen against the craft of the Japanese, the speed of the Saudis or the skill of the Iranians. On the face of it six games in Group Three and a record of three wins and three draws is perfectly acceptable but it doesn’t tell the whole story. February It all started well with a 4-0 thrashing of Turkmenistan in Seoul. English-based stars Park Ji-sung and Seol Ki-hyeon starred. It was the perfect start though the media was concerned at how much better the overseas stars were than the K-Leagues. March The press was singing, along with the coach, a different tune at the end of March after a dull goalless draw against North Korea in Shanghai. This time Seol, as well as fellow London resident, Lee Young-pyo were partly blamed by the press and the boss for the unimaginative display. May The low point of the six games was the last 20 minutes against Jordan in Seoul on May 31. Cruising 2-0 against the West Asians, Jordan took advantage of some poor goalkeeping and defending to pull a goal back. Then everything went wrong and the team fell to pieces. In the end, it was almost a relief to tie 2-2 against a team then ranked 104 in the world by FIFA. The next day, coach Huh Jung-moo irresponsibly placed part of the blame on goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae. He also suggested that the Korean Football Association (KFA) should lift the ban on veteran shotstopper Lee Woon-jae. Lee’s late-night drinking exploits during the 2007 Asian Cup earned himself a 12-month enforced absence from the national team which ends in November. The KFA said it was too early. Huh said he never made the request anyway and it was all the media’s work. June It hadn’t been a good 48 hours for Korean football but to the team’s credit, it bounced back and won 1-0 in Jordan a week later. The performance wasn’t great, the defense again looked shaky but it was a good win in a tough environment. The same could be said of the 3-1 victory against Turkmenistan a week later. The team scored its only goal of the group against the Koreans and caused the visitors more trouble than it really should have been allowed to, but the hat-trick from Park Ji-sung replacement Kim Do-heon picked up another three points. Then came a second goalless draw at home against the North Koreans in Seoul, a dull game against a defensive-minded team. Next… There is work to do, starting on Friday when the identities of South Korea’s four opponents in the final stage will be revealed. The last time that South Korea failed to reach the World Cup was back in 1982, and hard work and a little imagination is needed to ensure that unwanted history is not made. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Where to start? The climax of the K-League season has been overshadowed by tales of ‘The four partymen’ –the collective label given to Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-guk, goalkeeper and captain Lee Woon-jae, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma skipper Kim Sang-sik and Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I forward Woo Sung-young.