Football fans raise concerns after Jamboree concert leaves FC Seoul's field damaged

Scouts from around the world fill the Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul, where the ″K-pop Super Live″ concert was held on Friday. [NEWS1]

Football fans are worried the Seoul World Cup Stadirum's damaged grass may cause injuries to FC Seoul and Daegu FC players playing each other in a K League match on Saturday after the World Scout Jamboree's K-pop show damaged the field last week.

FC Seoul's home stadium was used on Friday as a venue for the K-pop concert that acted as a closing ceremony for the World Scout Jamboree.

The Jamboree took place in Saemangeum in Buan County, North Jeolla, from Aug. 1 through Saturday, but the venue and date for the K-pop concert — originally scheduled to be held in Saemangeum on Aug. 6 — changed to the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Friday due to Typhoon Khanun.

The concert that more than 40,000 people attended ended in success, but installing a stage and seats for the attendees damaged the grass, which plays a critical role in playing football.

Footballers cannot pass the ball properly on the grass in poor condition, and it can also lead to injuries, as damaged grass puts more pressure on players' joints.

FC Seoul fans are worried about the players, with multiple comments on the club's Instagram post about Saturday's fixture shared on Friday saying they are skeptical about whether a match can even be played due to grass condition.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday it will restore the field before Saturday's fixture and continue to provide assistance for FC Seoul if its field needs further restoration.

The ministry did not reveal the amount of the restoration fee, but it will likely have to spend a significant amount of money, as Seoul Facilities Corporation spent about 1 billion won ($746,000) to install a hybrid grass surface that consists of 95 percent of natural grass and five percent of artificial fibers in 2021.

FC Seoul are sitting in fourth place on the 12-team table as of Wednesday but have to beat Daegu to bounce back. The capital side were sitting in second place in the early days of the season but slipped down to fourth and have not secured a win since July 12.

FC Seoul may even cede the fourth position to fifth-place Gwangju FC over the weekend if they lose Saturday's game and Gwangju manages a win on Friday, as the two are tied on points.

The capital side edge out Gwangju with the number of goals scored — the second deciding factor when two teams are tied on points.

Saturday's match between FC Seoul and Daegu will kick off at 7:30 p.m.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]