'A grueling battle costing as much as 1.5 billion won, with joint support from South and North Korea?' Even though it is not a national team match... where has the obvious 'advantage of the host city' gone?

*This content was translated by AI.

In the fierce world of competition where huge prize money and the honor of being Asian champions are at stake, does joint support that transcends victory and defeat fit in? Ahead of the semifinals of the newly established Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL) this year, football fans are casting a critical eye. With joint support led by private organizations being pushed for a match between professional clubs rather than national teams, criticism is pouring in that political logic is taking precedence over the intrinsic value of sports.

SuwonFC Wimin and North Korea Naeghyang Women's Football Club will face each other in a single-match semifinal of the AFC AWCL to be held at 7 p.m. on the 20th at Suwon Sports Complex.

The winning team on that day will play the final at the same venue at 9 p.m. on the 23rd.

The AWCL, which kicked off this year, is Asia's most prestigious women's club competition, with a winning prize of 1 million dollars (approximately 1.5 billion won). Considering the scale of women's football, this tournament is seen as a golden opportunity to secure a huge operating budget that could reshape the landscape for teams in the following season.

SuwonFC Wimin has proven its skills on the Asian stage and has only two wins left to claim the championship. After crushing China's Wuhan Jiangda 4-0 in the quarterfinals, the Korean club is challenging for its first-ever final appearance and the record of becoming the inaugural champion.

However, in this serious situation, fans are reacting cynically upon hearing news that a joint support group of about 3,000 people is scheduled to be assigned to the seats directly opposite the main stand.

In fact, on social networking services (SNS) and online communities, a flood of critical posts has emerged questioning why joint support is intruding in a true showdown between professional teams and urging that football matches not be used as political events. It is pointed out that support that transcends victory and defeat is actually an insult to players who are giving their all for prize money and honor. The AFC has also formally requested through an official letter that this tournament be conducted as a pure sports event separated from external political situations, and that football should be the top priority.

Moreover, this atmosphere can only be a burden and a source of regret for SuwonFC Wimin players. SuwonFC Wimin has already fought in front of thousands of traveling fans overseas to break through this tournament. While they intend to focus on this match against Naeghyang as a club-versus-club contest rather than a national team match, the appearance of an unprecedented 'domestic traveling support group' has placed them in the paradoxical situation of not fully enjoying the advantage of their home stadium.

There were also controversies surrounding accommodation arrangements. Initially, SuwonFC Wimin and Naeghyang were to share Hotel A in Suwon. According to a compilation of StarNews reports, it was confirmed that the Naeghyang side had requested separate accommodations for the purpose of separating movement routes. Consequently, a plan for SuwonFC Wimin to move to a different hotel was considered, but it was ultimately concluded that they would not move. Instead, measures will be taken to strictly separate floors and adjust meeting and meal times to minimize contact.

Accommodations for the other two semifinal teams have also been finalized. Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza will stay at a hotel near Pangyo, while Australia's Melbourne City will prepare for the match at a hotel in downtown Suwon.

Match operations are also completely different from usual. The 39-member Naeghyang squad, which trained in Beijing, China, and arrived on the 17th, will compete for a ticket to the final at Suwon Sports Complex on the 20th. Although more than 7,000 seats have already sold out, the Ministry of Unification provided approximately 300 million won from the inter-Korean cooperation fund, allowing a joint support group centered on private organizations to fill one side of the stadium.

To accommodate a media contingent of about 120 people, Suwon Sports Complex has set up a separate external press conference venue and expanded the press seats to the second floor. VIP movement routes have been strictly separated, and the variable seats, which were a symbol of SuwonFC supporters, will not be sold for this match. The pre-match press conference on the 19th is also likely to be conducted individually by the four teams, making it difficult to see the two teams standing together in the media space.

This alien joint support has appeared before the challenge of a Korean club aiming for the Asian summit. Despite the voices of fans calling for the preservation of sports' purity and the AFC's request to emphasize the essence of the tournament, concerns are growing that this semifinal is losing its original color due to logic outside the stadium.

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*This content was translated by AI.