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Suwon FC had to play a home game that was worse than away. Ahead of the decisive battle, the Ministry of Unification, other government ministries, and private organisation purchased about 7,000 seats without any prior consultation with Suwon FC or the fans, under the false pretext of a 'joint cheering squad'.

The co-cheering team had the strange idea of cheering for both teams simultaneously. To this end, the Ministry of Unification gave 300 million won from the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Fund to the support groups in question.

Concerns became a cruel reality. From the kick-off, the organisations who received tax money to co-support took off their masks. They completely ignored Suwon FC's attacking opportunities and only supported Naegohayng. We used our tax money to to create supporter for the opposition.

There are other cases where the home advantage was taken away. Initially, the team would share a hotel. However, ahead of the game, orders were suddenly given to Suwon FC to change accommodations, disrupting the team preparations.

*****

I had to sit between these idiots. The women next to me was cheering for Naegohyang, but at the weirdest times. She speak non stop, loundly, and not pay attention to the match, only to suddenly look up and "Naegoyang jarhaeseo!" at the most random times. Occationally she would ask what Ji So-Yeon's number is, because that is apparently the only South Korean player she's ever heard of. They left at half time and never came back.

During half time two idiots who don't understand how wind works spend about 10 minutes trying to flip a large banner over that was hanging facing away form the pitch. One was the same idiot in my row who was loudly seki-ing every time there was a closeup of the Naegoyang bench and manager. Once they managed to get the banner to face forward, they dissapeared and I never saw them again. About 5 minutes after the second half kicked off, someone came over, spoke on their phone, and removed the banner. I can only assume it had a political message.

One weird incident was when someone carrying a staff badge came over to ask the four white people sitting near me if they were smoking. They said no, he asked again, they still said no, and he kept looking at them until a nearby Korean defended them. The staff member walked past everyone to ask them, then left and asked noone else in the area. WTF?!

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Rather than badly relay the contents of this Sports Joseon article, I asked Gemini to summerise it for us:

South Korea's Suwon FC Women is set to face North Korea’s Naegohyang Women's Football Club in the semifinals of the AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL) on May 20. This marks the first time a North Korean women’s football club is visiting South Korea, representing the first inter-Korean sports exchange in eight years.

​However, South Korean players and figures in the sports industry are feeling deeply sidelined and hurt due to the government's approach, which treats the match more as a political, "inter-Korean unification" event rather than a highly competitive professional tournament.

​Key Points

​Lack of Respect for the Players: The AWCL is a prestigious international club tournament with massive financial stakes—the champion receives $1 million (approx. 1.5 billion KRW), while the local WK League's championship prize is only 20 million KRW. Suwon FC made massive investments to build a world-class squad for this tournament. Despite their hard work and a stunning 4–1 victory over the defending champions (Wuhan Jiangda), local authorities ignored their achievements until it was announced they would play a North Korean team.

​The Controversial Joint Cheering Section:

Out of roughly 5,000 available tickets for the general public, the South Korean Ministry of Unification spent 300 million KRW from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund to organize and purchase 3,000 tickets for a "Joint Inter-Korean Cheering Squad." This squad plans to cheer for both teams equally. South Korean players expressed disappointment and self-pity, wondering, "Do they not want us to win?" and "Are we our own enemy?" * The Harsh Reality of Home Advantage:

The article contrasts this situation with a 2017 match in Pyongyang, where 50,000 North Korean fans created a terrifying, fiercely one-sided atmosphere for the South Korean players. In international sports, "home advantage" is expected. South Korean players feel they are being robbed of their home advantage in their own country because the government is prioritizing a welcoming political gesture toward North Korea over supporting its own athletes.

​The Team's Determination:

Despite the bittersweet atmosphere and feeling like the "away team" in their own stadium, Suwon FC’s manager, Park Gil-young, and legendary captain, Ji So-yun, expressed strong determination. Ji thanked the public for their interest but urged traditional South Korean football fans to come out to the stadium to be their "12th man." She promised that the team would give everything they have to secure a victory.