The first public hearing was held to discuss the “transition of the spring season” of the K-League of professional football. While there are constant voices calling for the reorganization of the season in summer and ending in late spring of the following year like major European leagues such as the English Premier League (EPL), the intention is to discuss the transition of the K-League to the spring season in earnest.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, which is closely related to the K-League, has already changed from the Spring and Autumn Festival to the Spring and Fall Festival. The J-League of Japan’s pro soccer will also be operated through the 2026-27 season after being converted to the Spring and Fall Festival. There are still a number of leagues and competitions that maintain the Spring and Fall Festival like the K-League, but it is undeniable that more leagues and competitions are gradually shifting to the Spring and Fall Festival.
The league can be operated according to the circumstances of each country, whether it is Spring and Autumn, but the problem is that most international competitions are operated in line with the Spring and Autumn System, and the “Spring and Autumn System” K-League is being affected considerably. There are many voices complaining of various grievances in just two seasons since the ACL’s Autumn and Spring System began to be reorganized last year. Although it is the voice of some clubs now, it is a damage that can be suffered by any team in the K-League, and ultimately, it is a problem that is directly related to the development of the entire K-League.
Ulsan HD, which has been on the ACL stage for two consecutive seasons since the reorganization of the Chun-Chu system, is a representative team that has suffered a lot between the Chun-Chu-je K-League and the Chun-je ACL. Ulsan Secretary-General Choi Jung-ho, who attended the “public hearing to review the transition to the K-League’s Chun-Chu system” held by the Korea Professional Football Federation at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th, pointed out the issue of when different players were registered between the K-League and the ACL as the biggest problem.
“The registration period for players in the K-League next year is from January 17 to March 27. The winter transfer window (in the spring and autumn seasons of the K-League) is a period to prepare for one year. As the players’ contracts end on December 31, the players will have to sign up for additional players in the 2024-25 ACL until January 28,” Choi said. “The problem is that players have to register for one year from January 17 to 28. We need to run a season with a squad that has been formed within 10 days.”
“The same applies to the summer transfer market. The additional registration period for players in the K-League summer transfer market is from June 13 to July 24. On the other hand, ACL is a springboard system, so a new season begins in September and players must complete registration in August,” Choi said. “Some players are moving to the Middle East or Europe, but we cannot reinforce players who are not qualified.”
In fact, the K-League has a longer winter transfer window to prepare for one season and a longer player registration period. On the other hand, the summer transfer window that takes place during the season is a “additional” registration period, so the period is shorter. The registration period of players is the opposite for both leagues and competitions. While the transfer window and the registration period are long in the summer before the new season begins, the registration period is relatively shorter in the winter when the season or competition is underway. The damage caused by this gap is entirely borne by the “Chunchu Festival” league.
Choi Jung-ho, secretary-general, said, “Since we have been operating in line with the ACL for the second year, there are some areas where it is difficult for the club to keep up. I think it is limiting the joy that can be given to the fans and the part where the performance can be improved,” adding, “It may be said that it is a difficulty that only a few teams experience, but the teams that go to the international competition are trying to achieve good performance while investing a lot. It is not possible to open the registration period just for the four teams that will play in the ACL.”
The ACL that he experienced as a player is also not easy to adapt to. Shin Kwang-hoon of the Pohang Steelers said, “The K-League has spring and autumn ceremonies and ACLs have difficulties because they have spring and fall ceremonies. Players can change a lot.”
Shin Kwang-hoon said, “For example, last year, Pohang advanced to the round of 16 teams by garnering five wins and one draw. However, more than 70 percent of its players have left the team since it advanced to the round of 16. In the round of 16 teams in the ALC held in February this year, the players who played in last year’s group league (main league) did not play well, and the number of players changed too much. As we became a completely new team, we were able to fail in important tournament matches very quickly.” He pointed out the squad problems that arise as the K-League is in the 2023 season and the ACL is in the 2023-24 season.
In fact, the team that Pohang played in the 2023-24 ACL group league from September to December last year was a team that played in the K-League during the 2023-24 ALC. However, after the 2023 K-League season ended, a massive reshuffle of its squad took place including the replacement of the head coach. Eventually, in the round of 16 teams in the 2023-24 ALC this February, Pohang’s new 2024 season played a leading role, not Pohang in the 2023 season, which had five wins and one draw in the last year’s group league. In fact, the two teams that lack continuity are competing in the ALC group league and the round of 16, respectively. As the ACL is changed to Choo Chun-je, it is another difficult task that the K-League teams are bound to experience. 카지노사이트
As Secretary-General Choi Jung-ho expressed, it may be a difficult task for only a few clubs now, but the longer the K-League and ACL maintain different systems and the more various K-League teams take the stage in the ACL, the greater the concerns and grievances of the K-League and each club. It can be one of the many reasons for the necessity of introducing the K-League’s pursuit system, which comes from experience.