Postseason leaves some grumbling, some ecstatic
Published: 19 Nov. 2009, 22:25
It’s that time of the year. A chill is in the air and Christmas is around the corner. The start of winter means one thing to football fans: the K-League Championship. With the first round set to kick off this weekend between third to sixth ranked teams, nothing else matters for die-hard fans at this time of the year.
The passion for the game also leads to discussions about the K-League playoff format. It seems like it is customary for football fans, managers and players alike to discuss the merits of the current postseason format. The current system, which was introduced in 2007, is similar to the one used by the Korea Baseball Organization. The first round pits third and sixth placed teams against each other in one game, and fourth and fifth placed teams against each other in the other game. The winners of the two single elimination games move onto play each other in the second round. Then the winner of the second round gets a chance to face the second-placed Pohang Steelers in the semifinals. Then the winner of the semifinals moves onto the finals to play the team with the best record in the regular season in a home and away series, which happens to be Jeonbuk Motors this season. While giving the two teams with the best records during the regular season byes in the postseason makes sense, the current format forces the top teams to wait three weeks for their first match in the postseason.
Is there a need to tweak the current system? While change is good and perhaps necessary, there are also benefits to the current system. So, which is better?
By Yoo Jee-ho, Jason Kim [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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