"I'm trying to forget the shock, but it's not easy."

This was a recent comment on a post on the official social networking service (SNS) account of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings, a professional soccer team. Fans were lamenting the team's 0-0 draw against Gangwon FC in the final round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 on April 2, which confirmed their relegation to next season. This reaction is not unreasonable as the first relegation in the history of the famous Suwon club is a huge loss. The discarded supporters' flags around the Suwon World Cup Stadium were a clear indication of the fans' despondency.

Flags supporting the Suwon Samsung Bluewings were abandoned around the Suwon World Cup Stadium after the team's relegation was confirmed in a 0-0 draw against Gangwon FC in the final round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023.

◆Shocking relegation...'Massive transfer' possible

Suwon's glorious history of producing stars such as Seo Won-jeong, Steady Hwan, and Go Jong-soo in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as winning multiple championships with the support of Korea's top companies, contrasts with the club's hollow downfall. While the unpredictability of the game's outcome is part of its appeal, relegation is the "worst moment of a lifetime" for players and fans alike.

In the future, the club's management is also expected to face problems such as large-scale player transfers. Not many players will welcome a 'second division record'. If you don't bring in talent of the same caliber as the departing players, you're bound to see a drop in performance next year. For teams seeking promotion, every game is a "war" and if you don't perform, you could be stuck in the second division, also known as "hell". There is a saying in the soccer world that it is easier to stay in the middle of the first division than to win the second division.

When did Suwon's downfall begin?

Since 2014, when the professional clubs were consolidated under Cheil Worldwide, along with baseball's Samsung Lions and basketball's Seoul Samsung Thunders, investment has gradually decreased, and many in and out of the soccer world see this as the beginning of Suwon's downfall.

Suwon, which was the K League's "labor cost leader" in 2013 when the promotion system was first implemented with a total annual salary of 9.67 billion won, lost the lead to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (11.8 billion won) the following year and slipped to second place (9.864 billion won). After falling to 8.7 billion won in 2015, labor costs have hovered between 7 billion and 8 billion won since then, and last year's figure of 8.87583 billion won was the eighth highest among the 12 clubs in the top division. This is in contrast to this year's K League champion Ulsan Hyundai, which nearly tripled its player labor costs over the same period, from 6.3 billion won in 2013 to 17.6 billion won last year. Although salary is not an absolute criterion to determine the year's farming, the thin wallet has made it difficult for the team to attract "high salary" players, leading to a vicious cycle of poor rankings. After finishing second in the regular season in 2014-15, the team finished eighth in 2019 and 10th last year, and this year they were relegated to last place. It is necessary to consider whether the investment was reasonable. 카지노사이트777 

A hit is inevitable

Even in soccer's home country of England, relegation from the Premier League (top division) to the Championship (second division) is considered one of the most disastrous events for a club due to declining broadcasting rights fees. In May, at the end of the 2022-23 season, local media reported that "relegated clubs could face a financial hit of tens of billions of dollars from their first year in the Championship.

The situation is slightly different in Korean professional soccer, where broadcasting rights fees are not distributed among clubs. However, at the end of the year, the Korean Football Association shares advertising fees for league title sponsors and billboards, but even then, there is a difference in the amount between the first and second division leagues, so the financial impact of relegation is inevitable. Unlike the first division (12 clubs), which receives 300 million to 400 million won in advertising fees, the second division (11 clubs) reportedly receives less.

Follow the example of Jeju, which returned to the top division after a year

Jeju United, which returned to the top flight a year after relegation, seems to be the way forward for Suwon.

After the club was relegated in late 2019, it showed a strong commitment to renewal with the support of its parent company, SK Group, by appointing CEO Han Jung-gil, who previously served as head of brand marketing at SK Energy and head of B2B business. The team hired Kim Hyun-hee, a "hands-on talent" with experience at Ulsan and other clubs, and handed the reins over to Nam Ki-il, a "promotion specialist." With full support for an early return to the top flight, Jeju promptly won the 2020 second division title to secure promotion.

A soccer insider familiar with Jeju's situation at the time told The Korea Times, "I know that Chairman Choi Tae-won spared no effort to support the team for a quick promotion," adding, "Promotion depends on the club's leadership's sincere will to renew."