"Unthinkable in Europe"... Even Lingard Surprised by the 'Sangam Grass' Condition

Heavy Rain and Heatwave Expose Bare Ground
"Condition is Serious," They Shake Their Heads

Jesse Lingard, who is active in K League 1 FC Seoul, sighed and described the grass on Korean soccer fields as being at a "serious level." On the 29th, FC Seoul won 1-0 in the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 Round 32 home match against Suwon FC held at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Lingard contributed to the victory by providing his first assist in the K League, setting up Illyuchenko's winning goal in the 21st minute of the second half from a corner kick.

Jesse Lingard, who is active in the professional football K League 1 FC Seoul, sighed saying that the grass on Korean football fields is at a "serious level." On the 29th, FC Seoul won 1-0 in the 32nd round home match of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 against Suwon FC held at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After the match, the bigger issue than the victory was the condition of the grass. Recently, major soccer stadiums in Korea, including Seoul World Cup Stadium, have been suffering from grass problems. Due to heatwaves and heavy rain, the grass has been severely damaged, with soil fully exposed and the ground uneven. Son Heung-min (Tottenham), the captain of the national team who recently played an A-match, criticized the situation, saying, "This is a problem directly related to performance. Improvement is necessary." After much controversy, it was decided to move the home match of the third round of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers in October from Seoul to Yongin.

After winning the match, Lingard shook his head and sighed while listening to the interpreter's question. Then he directly criticized, saying, "The grass condition is serious." He said, "In the English Premier League (EPL), the ground is good, so you don't have to think about controlling the ball well. But here, before thinking about the next play, you have to focus on controlling the ball well first."

Since then, Seoul World Cup Stadium has undergone several restoration works, but the grass condition was still terrible on this day. Players frequently lost the ball due to irregular bounces and fell while trying to change direction. The head coaches of both teams who watched the match also criticized the grass problem. Kim Eun-jung, Suwon FC's coach, said bluntly, "If only the grass had been good, we would have scored." Kim Ki-dong, FC Seoul's coach, the home team, also said, "I was surprised when I went onto the ground to greet the fans. It's fortunate that the players weren't injured." Earlier, it was revealed by a report from Democratic Party lawmaker Wi Seong-gon that Seoul World Cup Stadium earned 8.2 billion won this year from matches and concerts but invested only 250 million won in grass management, which caused public criticism.