Hwaseong FC look to turn pro with Cha Du-ri at the helm

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Hwaseong FC look to turn pro with Cha Du-ri at the helm

Published: 25 Nov. 2024, 10:53 Updated: 25 Nov. 2024, 16:31

Cha Du-ri, then a Korean national team assistant coach, instructs players during training in Doha, Qatar on Jan. 18. [NEWS1]

K3 team Hwaseong FC are mounting a bid to become the 14th team in the K League 2 and the 26th professional football team in Korea, and the club is reportedly looking to bring former player, assistant national team coach and son of the greatest Korean football player ever not to have Son is his name, Cha Du-ri, along for the ride.

A Hwaseong official told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, last week that the club had submitted an application to join the K League, consisting of Korea’s top two pro leagues: K League 1 and K League 2.

In Korean football, only the K League 1 and K League 2 are professional, while the K3 and K4 are semi-professional and K5, K6 and K7 are amateur.

The K League board will review Hwaseong’s financial situation and its operational plans on Friday, before determining whether to approve the club’s application next year. The city of Hwaseong will also deliberate on the budget plan for the club at the end of December.

If Hwaseong’s application is approved, the club will become the 14th team in the K League 2.

Cha is reportedly on the shortlist for the club's new manager, a difficult role as the incoming gaffer will have to rebuild a new professional squad when they take the helm.

Cha, 44, is a veteran figure in Korean football and has taken multiple coaching and advisor roles after a 13-year playing career during which he made it onto the roster for the 2002 World Cup and 2010 World Cup, played for multiple Bundesliga clubs, the Scottish Premiership's Celtic and retired with FC Seoul.

He is also the son of Cha Bum-kun, often known as Tscha Bum, who has for decades been considered the greatest-ever Korean footballer, a title that only Son Heung-min has come close to stealing.

After his retirement, Cha Du-ri started working as a match analyst for the Korean senior national team in 2016 and became a national team assistant manager in July 2017.

He then became the FC Seoul U-18 squad manager in 2019 and went on to serve as the club’s academy manager from 2022 to 2023.

Cha returned to the Korean national team as an advisor in March 2023 under then-manager Jurgen Klinsmann and took an assistant manager role again in September that year until February this year when Klinsamnn was sacked.

Taking charge of a K League 2 Hwaseong would mark Cha’s first time as manager at a pro club.

Hwaseong, located in the southern part of Gyeonggi, was founded in 2013 and won the K3 in 2014, 2019 and 2023.

Hwaseong FC celebrate winning the K3 in 2023. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

If Hwaseong joins the K League 2, the club will have to compete alongside strong contenders such as five-time K League 1 champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Incheon United.

The Bluewings faced relegation to the second division last year after finishing at the bottom of the table and failed to earn promotion back this season, with Incheon also slipping down to the K League 2 this year.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors could also await Hwaseong in the K League 2 next season, as the nine-time K League 1 champions are set to play the promotion-relegation playoffs this year.

The K League 2 has seen a jump in the number of clubs in recent years, with Cheonan City and Chungbuk Cheongju turning pro in 2023 and Gimpo FC joining in 2022.

BY PI JOO-YOUNG [[email protected]]