The KUFA considers rule changes to prevent a second ‘Yewon University debacle’.
메이저놀이터The hot topic of the 18th First and Second Grade College Football Tournament, which concluded on the 17th, was the ‘crushing defeat’ of Yewon University. In fact, the result and content of the game were shocking enough to warrant the expression “crushing defeat. In the first round of the group stage, Yewon Arts lost 0-29 to Ajou University, and lost both Daegu (0-31) and Gumi (0-29).
Looking at the scores, it’s not hard to suspect match-fixing. However, there is a reason why Yeowon University of the Arts lost so badly. They entered the tournament with a roster of regular students, not elite players. The minimum number of players for the tournament is 14, but the team took 15, some of whom were injured.
The Korean Football Association (KFA) stipulates that a registered team must participate in at least one KFA-sanctioned tournament a year to be eligible for player registration the following year. If a team fails to do so, it will be disbanded the following year. For universities that are struggling to recruit new students, the disbandment of a football team can be devastating.
Of course, there’s nothing to stop ordinary players from participating. There is no rule that says that only elite players can compete. Both Baekdu Daeganggi and Taebaeksangi are considered to be competitions for university students who played in elementary, middle, and high school, but the rules allow ordinary athletes to compete.
Byun Seok-hwa, president of the Korea University Football Association, said, “It’s a problem caused by regulations. If a team like Yewon University of the Arts is not allowed to compete, it would be a violation of their (students’) human rights. (It’s a natural thing to do at the moment.”
The college football tournament is literally one of the festivals of college students. Of course, ordinary students have the right to participate and enjoy the competition. However, it has been pointed out numerous times that a defeat, as in the case of Yewon University of the Arts, means nothing to anyone. Especially in the group stages, goal-scoring is crucial, and if you score 29 points against a team of ordinary students in the first round, the next team will have to score even more. It’s a game with nothing to gain for either the players or the spectators.
In order to make the tournament more meaningful, there is a need to prevent this from happening again. Byun Seok-hwa said, “It would be a violation of human rights to say that only students who have played in high school can be registered as college football players. I think we should have a legal discussion with the board of directors after the tournament,” he said.