"We sincerely apologize": FC Seoul apologizes for the 'Incheon defamation banner' displayed by supporters; representatives of the small group face self-imposed sanctions including restrictions on home games.

*This content was translated by AI.

FC Seoul, which faced controversy after some supporters unfurled banners slandering a rival club and its region, ultimately received disciplinary fines from the Korea Professional Football League's Disciplinary Committee and issued an apology to Incheon citizens, Incheon United FC, and Incheon fans.

The Seoul club stated in a statement released on the 10th, "Regardless of the original intent behind the banner, we take seriously the fact that its expression could be perceived as derogatory toward a specific region and its residents. We sincerely apologize to Incheon citizens, the Incheon United club, and fans who may have felt hurt or uncomfortable because of this."

Seoul FC added, "Upon verification, it was determined that some members of a fan group spontaneously created and posted the content inside the stadium on the day of the match." The club further stated, "We are taking this matter seriously and have decided to restrict access for the representative of the said fan group to FC Seoul home games in order to heighten awareness and prevent recurrence."

The Seoul club stated that it will pay closer attention and manage the situation to ensure that expressions distorting or belittling an opponent's history and identity, insults against regions and their residents, and derogatory or insulting language directed at opponents no longer take root at the future Seoul World Cup Stadium. To this end, the club will strengthen monitoring of cheering displays within the stadium and on-site responses, while working together with supporters to foster a more mature cheering culture through continuous communication with the "Guardian."

He added, "We hope these efforts will not remain limited to a single club and its fans but lead to changes across the entire K League. While competition and support become even more passionate, we at FC Seoul will fulfill our responsibility and role in establishing a healthy support culture where mutual respect is upheld." He also stated, "Once again, we sincerely apologize to the citizens of Incheon, the Incheon United club, and all fans."

Earlier, some Seoul supporters sparked controversy by displaying a banner at the match against Incheon held on the 5th at Seoul World Cup Stadium, which read 'Jeon Dal-su·Jo Geon-do = Incheon UTD'. The message simultaneously targeted former and current Incheon representatives Jeon Dal-su and Jo Geon-do, as well as their home city. Particularly, the Chinese characters for Incheon (Incheon) were rendered as 'In-jeon', meaning 'people are baseless', drawing criticism for demeaning the entire Incheon region and its citizens. Strong criticism also emerged from the political sphere, including Park Chan-dae, the mayor of Incheon.

Ultimately, the Seoul club was referred to the Korea Professional Football League's Disciplinary Committee and received a fine of 8 million won through the committee today. The K-League disciplinary regulations stipulate that clubs may be fined for defaming the league, clubs, players, team staff, or related parties, or for violating safety guidelines. The K-League safety guidelines prohibit bringing in aggressive materials intended to disparage opposing teams.

The disciplinary committee stated that when fans' expressions of opinion go beyond mere criticism or the submission of views and risk being perceived as damaging another party's reputation or amounting to insult, such actions carry the danger of escalating into group behavior or physical clashes. Furthermore, posting malicious content intended to defame opposing teams constitutes a violation of the culture of mutual respect that K League strives to uphold. The committee explained that under K League regulations, home clubs bear responsibility when issues arise regarding crowd control and order maintenance at stadiums. Consequently, it was deemed necessary to impose disciplinary measures on Seoul FC for failing to fulfill its management responsibilities in areas such as spectator control and maintaining order.

The league also stated, "Through this incident, we plan to cooperate with each team to establish a healthy cheering culture that respects opposing teams and their home cities." It further added, "While creating a safe and orderly stadium environment, we intend to strictly respond in principle to any acts of posting defamatory or aggressive expressions against opponents in the stands, in accordance with game regulations and safety guidelines."

The following is the full statement from FC Seoul.

<FCSeoul announces>

FC Seoul issued a statement regarding the banner posted in the home section of seats N at Seoul World Cup Stadium following the match against Incheon United on September 5.

First of all, apart from the original intent behind the banner, FC Seoul takes seriously the fact that its expression could be perceived as derogatory toward a specific region and its residents.

For this reason, we sincerely apologize to the citizens of Incheon, as well as to the Incheon United club and its fans, for any hurt or inconvenience caused.

According to the club's investigation, it was determined that the banner was spontaneously created and posted by members of a fan group within the stadium on the day of the match. The club has decided to strictly address this matter and raise awareness against recurrence by restricting the entry of the fan group's representative to FC Seoul home games.

FC Seoul believes that the fierce competition and passionate support unfolding at the stadium are vital cultural elements shaping the K League. However, we believe that such competition and support must be grounded in respect for opponents.

Let us take another look at our support culture starting with FC Seoul.

In the future, at Seoul World Cup Stadium, we will exercise greater care and management to ensure that expressions distorting or belittling the history and identity of opponents, derogatory remarks targeting regions and their residents, and insulting language using nicknames for opponents no longer take root. To this end, we will strengthen monitoring and on-site responses regarding cheering displays within the stadium, while working together with Suho-sin to foster a more mature culture of cheering through continuous communication.

In addition, FC Seoul hopes that these efforts will not remain limited to a single club and its fans but will lead to changes across the entire K League. To ensure that a healthy cheering culture takes root in the K League, where competition and support become even more passionate while mutual respect is maintained, FC Seoul will fulfill its responsibility and role.

We sincerely apologize once again to the citizens of Incheon, the Incheon United club, and all fans.

Thank you.

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*This content was translated by AI.