Incheon apologizes again for not mentioning victimized ‘Seoul athletes’

Incheon United has apologized again for the water bottle throwing incident that occurred on Nov. 11. After receiving criticism from soccer fans for not mentioning the FC Seoul players and officials who were affected in the first apology, the club bowed its head once again in the second apology. At the same time, Incheon announced that it would accept voluntary reports from fans who threw water bottles into the stadium, and at the same time, it announced specific measures to prevent safety accidents, such as closing the cheering section (S section) for the rest of the home games this month.

On May 13, Incheon announced on its official social networking service (SNS), “Immediately after the conclusion of the home match against FC Seoul in the 12th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 on May 11 at the Incheon Football Stadium, a safety accident occurred in which a water bottle was thrown into the stadium.” “Our club, which is fully responsible for the home match, once again sincerely apologizes to the visiting team, FC Seoul, its officials, and fans,” the club said.

“We also apologize once again for the great distress this incident has caused to the people of Incheon and the club’s fans,” he added. “In order to establish the facts of this incident and prevent its recurrence, the club will immediately implement the following follow-up measures, and we would like to inform you that there will be no leniency or exceptions to these measures.”

Incheon posted this second apology because the first apology made no mention of the Seoul players and officials who were affected. In fact, Incheon’s first apology stated, “We would like to bow our heads and apologize once again to the fans who love the K League and all those involved.” While Incheon apologized to the fans who love the K League and all those involved, there was no specific mention of Seoul’s players or officials.

Incheon also faced criticism and condemnation from soccer fans and the Korea Professional Football Players Association, and quickly began to investigate the cause of the incident and take steps to prevent a recurrence. Incheon will first accept voluntary reports from the 13th to the 19th. The voluntary report will exempt the club from any future civil or criminal legal action and will only apply the club’s own discipline. However, if the club does not report, it will file a complaint 바카라사이트 with the competent police department based on all evidence, and will compensate the club for all financial damages.

As a measure to prevent safety accidents at home games, the club will first close the cheering section (S section) for the Gwangju FC game on the 25th and the Ulsan HD game on the 29th. Then, the stadium will tighten the rules for bringing items into the stadium for all remaining home games. When bringing plastic bottles and cans into the stadium, the caps must be removed before bringing them in, and a pre-reporting system for cheering items will be operated. A clean cheering campaign will also be conducted to improve the fan culture.

In its first apology, Incheon said, “In the future, our club will thoroughly investigate the causes related to the water bottle throwing and strive to prevent such incidents from happening again. We will do our best to lead the way in creating a more mature support culture by conducting continuous safety campaigns for fans.” “We feel a heavy responsibility for this incident, and once again, we would like to sincerely apologize to all football fans who love the K League,” he said.

Earlier, during the ‘Gyeongin Derby’ between Incheon and Seoul at the Incheon Football Stadium, Incheon fans threw water bottles onto the field after the final whistle. When Seoul goalkeeper Baek Jong-beom, who had been called a parent by Incheon fans, turned toward Incheon supporters, raised his arms, pumped his fists, and roared, Incheon fans responded by throwing bottles full of water at him.

Players from both teams, as well as Incheon officials, rushed to the sideline and asked the Incheon fans not to throw the water bottles, and the stadium announcer also asked them not to throw the water bottles. The Incheon fans still threw water bottles, and that’s when Seoul captain Ki Sung-yong was hit by a water bottle full of water and fell to the ground. He was unable to get up for a while before being helped off the field by medical staff.

The incident, in which Ki Sung-yueng was pelted with a water bottle, was captured by the broadcast cameras, leading to criticism and condemnation of the Incheon fans. Many soccer fans took to the community and Incheon’s official social media to criticize the fans’ behavior, calling it “out of line,” “lowering the level of the K League,” and “uncivilized. Ki Sung-yong also responded, “I don’t know what the intention of throwing the water bottle was, but it’s a very dangerous behavior that can hurt people. If it hit him in the head, it could have led to serious injuries,” he said in a strongly worded statement.

According to the KFA’s penalty regulations, clubs that fail to comply with safety guidelines while throwing foreign objects on the field will be punished with a home game without spectators, a home game in the third region, a fine of more than 3 million won, and the closure of the cheering section and away supporters’ seats. The match supervisors investigated the cause of the water bottles thrown by Incheon fans, whether Ki Sung-yueng and other players were hit by the bottles, and whether other foreign objects besides water bottles flew into the field, and reported to the KFA, which is expected to announce the level of discipline soon.