2021 K League 1

Hana 1Q
K League 1
Season2021
Dates27 February – 5 December 2021
ChampionsJeonbuk Hyundai Motors
(9th title)
RelegatedGwangju FC
Champions LeagueJeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Ulsan Hyundai
Daegu FC
Matches played228
Goals scored563 (2.47 per match)
Best PlayerHong Jeong-ho
Top goalscorerJoo Min-kyu
(22 goals)
Biggest home winUlsan 5–0 Gangwon
(1 March 2021)
Biggest away winDaegu 0–5 Jeju
(31 October 2021)
Highest scoringSeoul 3–4 Jeonbuk
(5 September 2021)
Highest attendance6,199
Lowest attendance1,218
← 2020
2022 →

The 2021 K League 1, also known as the Hana 1Q K League 1 for sponsorship reasons, was the 39th season of the top division of professional football in South Korea, and the ninth season of the K League 1. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won their ninth title and fifth consecutive title.

After progressing 33 regular rounds, the league was divided into two groups, the top six and the bottom six, and each team played five matches against other teams in its group.

Teams

Team changes

Relegated to K League 2

Promoted from K League 2

Locations

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2021 K League 1 teams

The following twelve clubs competed in the K League 1 during the 2021 season.[1]

Team City/Province Abbreviation
Daegu FC Daegu Daegu
Gangwon FC Gangwon Gangwon
Gwangju FC Gwangju Gwangju
Incheon United Incheon Incheon
Jeju United Jeju Jeju
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk Jeonbuk
Pohang Steelers Pohang Pohang
Seongnam FC Seongnam Seongnam
FC Seoul Seoul Seoul
Suwon Samsung Bluewings Suwon Suwon
Suwon FC Suwon Suwon FC
Ulsan Hyundai Ulsan Ulsan

Stadiums

Jeju United Daegu FC Incheon United
Jeju World Cup Stadium DGB Daegu Bank Park Incheon Football Stadium
Capacity: 29,791 Capacity: 12,415 Capacity: 20,891
Pohang Steelers Suwon FC Seongnam FC
Pohang Steel Yard Suwon Stadium Tancheon Stadium
Capacity: 17,443 Capacity: 11,808 Capacity: 16,146
FC Seoul Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon FC
Seoul World Cup Stadium Seoul Olympic Stadium Suwon World Cup Stadium
Capacity: 66,704 Capacity: 69,950 Capacity: 44,031
Gwangju FC Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Gwangju World Cup Stadium Gwangju Football Stadium Jeonju World Cup Stadium
Capacity: 40,245 Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 42,477
Gangwon FC Ulsan Hyundai
Chuncheon Songam Leports Town Gangneung Stadium Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium
Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 22,333 Capacity: 44,102

Personnel and sponsoring

Team Manager Main sponsor Kit manufacturer Other sponsor(s)
Daegu FC South Korea Lee Byung-keun Daegu Government Goal Studio DGB Daegu Bank
AJIN Industrial Co., Ltd.
Gangwon FC South Korea Kim Byung-soo Gangwon Provincial Government Applerind Kangwon Land
Gwangju FC South Korea Kim Ho-young Gwangju Government Kelme
Incheon United South Korea Jo Sung-hwan Incheon Government Macron Shinhan Bank
Incheon International Airport
Jeju United South Korea Nam Ki-il SK Energy Puma
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors South Korea Kim Sang-sik Hyundai Motor Company Hummel
Pohang Steelers South Korea Kim Gi-dong POSCO Puma Pohang Government
Seongnam FC South Korea Kim Nam-il Seongnam Government Umbro
FC Seoul South Korea Park Jin-sub GS Group Le Coq Sportif
Suwon Samsung Bluewings South Korea Park Kun-ha Cheil Worldwide Puma Samsung Electronics
Suwon FC South Korea Kim Do-kyun Suwon Government Hummel
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea Hong Myung-bo Hyundai Heavy Industries Hummel Hyundai Oil Bank

Foreign players

Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to five per team, including a slot for a player from the Asian Football Confederation countries and a slot for a player from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. A team could use five foreign players on the field each game, including at least one player from the AFC confederation. Samuel Pungi, who played for Pohang Steelers, was deemed to be a native player as he had been granted South Korean nationality.

Players in bold were registered during the mid-season transfer window.

Team Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC player ASEAN player[a] Former player(s)
Daegu FC Brazil Césinha Brazil Edgar Brazil Lamas Japan Tsubasa Nishi Brazil Serginho
Gangwon FC Serbia Vladimir Silađi Bulgaria Momchil Tsvetanov Serbia Matija Ljujić Uzbekistan Rustam Ashurmatov Japan Masatoshi Ishida
Gwangju FC Brazil Reis Serbia Aleksandar Andrejević Brazil Johnathan Brazil Felipe
Incheon United Montenegro Stefan Mugoša Costa Rica Elías Aguilar Brazil Negueba Australia Harrison Delbridge
Jeju United Poland Oskar Zawada Guinea-Bissau Gerso Fernandes Uzbekistan Islom Kenjaboev
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors The Gambia Modou Barrow Brazil Gustavo Russia Stanislav Iljutcenko Japan Takahiro Kunimoto Thailand Sasalak Haiprakhon
Pohang Steelers Colombia Manuel Palacios Bosnia and Herzegovina Mario Kvesić Ukraine Borys Tashchy Australia Alex Grant
Seongnam FC Austria Richard Windbichler Serbia Fejsal Mulić Romania Sergiu Buș Uzbekistan Jamshid Iskanderov
FC Seoul Spain Osmar Serbia Aleksandar Paločević Brazil Gabriel Australia Connor Chapman Uzbekistan Ikromjon Alibaev
Suwon Samsung Bluewings Canada Doneil Henry Serbia Uroš Đerić Italy Nicolao Dumitru Australia Terry Antonis
Suwon FC South Africa Lars Veldwijk Brazil Murilo Brazil Tardeli Australia Lachlan Jackson Brazil Victor
Ulsan Hyundai Netherlands Dave Bulthuis Georgia (country) Valeri Qazaishvili Australia Jason Davidson
Austria Lukas Hinterseer
  1. ^ Did not exist in the regulation of AFC.

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation[a]
1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (C) 38 22 10 6 71 37 +34 76 Qualification for Champions League group stage
2 Ulsan Hyundai 38 21 11 6 64 41 +23 74 Qualification for Champions League play-off round
3 Daegu FC 38 15 10 13 41 48 −7 55
4 Jeju United 38 13 15 10 52 44 +8 54
5 Suwon FC 38 14 9 15 53 57 −4 51
6 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 38 12 10 16 42 50 −8 46
7 FC Seoul 38 12 11 15 46 46 0 47
8 Incheon United 38 12 11 15 38 45 −7 47
9 Pohang Steelers 38 12 10 16 41 45 −4 46
10 Seongnam FC 38 11 11 16 34 46 −12 44
11 Gangwon FC (O) 38 10 13 15 40 51 −11 43 Qualification for relegation play-offs
12 Gwangju FC (R) 38 10 7 21 42 54 −12 37 Relegation to K League 2
Source: K League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Wins; 5) Head-to-head points
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league was split into two groups, the top six and the bottom six.

Positions by matchday

  Leaders, qualification for Champions League group stage
  Qualification for Champions League play-off round
  Qualification for relegation play-offs
  Relegation to K League 2

Round 1–33

Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors242211111111111111222322222222221
Ulsan Hyundai111123222222222222111111111111112
Daegu FC5811101091111111086434444425244674433333
Suwon FC591011111212121211121212117888765656433344444
Jeju United775776887433356666688989858888555
Suwon Samsung Bluewings433334446354543333333433567665666
Pohang Steelers324467698645665555536665356576777
Incheon United96898810101012111191010777867577845777898
FC Seoul115964233479888111211119111010101111121212111010109
Gangwon FC12111212121077581091099999119989811101011111212810
Seongnam FC7106555553567778101010101011121110101111109991111
Gwangju FC1012789119699710111212121212121012111212129991011111212
Source: K League

Round 34–38

Source: K League

Results

Matches 1–22

Teams played each other twice, once at home, once away.

Home \ Away DGU GWN GJU ICU JJU JHM PHS SNM SEL SSB SWN USH
Daegu FC — 1–0 1–4 3–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1
Gangwon FC 3–0 — 0–1 2–0 2–2 1–1 1–3 0–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 2–2
Gwangju FC 0–1 3–1 — 2–1 0–0 0–2 0–1 0–0 1–1 3–4 2–0 0–1
Incheon United 2–1 1–0 2–1 — 0–3 1–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 4–1 0–0
Jeju United 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–4 — 1–1 1–0 2–2 2–1 2–1 1–3 1–2
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3–2 2–1 3–0 5–0 1–1 — 0–1 1–0 2–0 1–3 1–1 2–4
Pohang Steelers 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 0–0 1–3 — 1–0 0–1 0–3 1–0 1–1
Seongnam FC 0–0 1–2 2–0 1–3 0–0 1–5 2–1 — 1–0 0–1 2–3 0–1
FC Seoul 0–1 0–1 2–1 0–1 0–1 3–4 1–2 2–2 — 0–3 3–0 0–0
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–2 3–2 1–3 1–1 1–0 1–2 — 1–2 3–0
Suwon FC 2–4 2–1 2–1 2–2 2–1 1–0 3–4 1–2 1–1 0–0 — 0–1
Ulsan Hyundai 2–1 5–0 2–0 3–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 3–2 1–1 2–5 —
Source: K League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 23–33

Teams played each other once, either at home or away.

Home \ Away DGU GWN GJU ICU JJU JHM PHS SNM SEL SSB SWN USH
Daegu FC — — 1–2 — — — — 3–1 — 0–2 0–0 2–1
Gangwon FC 2–0 — 2–1 — 2–2 0–1 1–0 — 1–4 — — —
Gwangju FC — — — 1–0 0–3[a] 1–2 2–3 2–0 — — — —
Incheon United 2–0 0–1 — — 1–2 — — 0–1 — 0–1 0–0 —
Jeju United 0–1 — — — — 2–2 — 2–1 1–0 — — 2–2
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–1 — — 2–0 — — 2–0 — 3–2 1–0 2–2 —
Pohang Steelers 1–2 — — 0–1 2–4 — — — — 0–0 3–1 1–2
Seongnam FC — 2–0 — — — 0–0 1–0 — 1–1 — — 2–1
FC Seoul 1–1 — 1–0 0–0 — — 2–2 — — — 2–1 1–2
Suwon Samsung Bluewings — 3–2 2–2 — 0–0 — — 1–2 0–2 — 0–3 —
Suwon FC — 1–0 1–3 — 1–0 — — 3–1 — — — 0–3
Ulsan Hyundai — 2–1 1–0 3–2 — 0–0 — — — 3–1 — —
Source: K League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
  1. ^ The match between Gwangju FC and Jeju United originally finished 1–1, but K League Federation awarded Jeju United a 3–0 win due to a violation of Gwangju FC, which exceeded substitutes allowance.[2]

Matches 34–38

Teams played each other once, either at home or away.

Relegation play-offs

The promotion-relegation play-offs were contested between the winners of K League 2 play-offs and the eleventh-placed team in K League 1.

Daejeon Hana Citizen1–0Gangwon FC
Lee Hyeon-sik 51'
Gangwon FC4–1Daejeon Hana Citizen
 Lee Jong-hyeon 17'

Gangwon FC won 4–2 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.

Statistics

Top goalscorers

Rank Player[3] Club Goals
1 South Korea Joo Min-kyu Jeju United 22
2 South Africa Lars Veldwijk Suwon FC 18
3 Brazil Gustavo Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 15
Russia Stanislav Iljutcenko Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
5 Serbia Fejsal Mulić Seongnam FC 13
6 South Korea Lee Dong-jun Ulsan Hyundai 11
South Korea Lim Sang-hyub Pohang Steelers
8 Brazil Edgar Daegu FC 10
South Korea Song Min-kyu Pohang Steelers
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Serbia Aleksandar Paločević FC Seoul

Top assist providers

Rank Player[3] Club Assists
1 South Korea Kim Bo-kyung Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 10
Brazil Murilo Suwon FC
3 South Korea Kang Sang-woo Pohang Steelers 8
4 South Korea Lee Yeong-jae Suwon FC 7
Brazil Cesinha Daegu FC
South Korea Sin Jin-ho Pohang Steelers
7 Costa Rica Elías Aguilar Incheon United 6
South Korea Na Sang-ho FC Seoul
South Korea Kim Tae-hwan Ulsan Hyundai
South Africa Lars Veldwijk Suwon FC

Hat-tricks

Player For Against Result Date
South Korea Lim Sang-hyub Pohang Steelers Suwon FC 3–4 18 May 2021
Brazil Gustavo4 Jeonbouk Hyundai Motors Seongnam FC 1–5 6 June 2021
South Africa Lars Veldwijk4 Suwon FC Ulsan Hyundai 2–5 25 July 2021

Awards

Weekly awards

Monthly awards

Month Player of the Month Young Player of the Month Manager of the Month Goal of the Month
Player Club Player Club Manager Club Div. Player Club
March South Korea Ki Sung-yueng Seoul — South Korea Kim Sang-sik Jeonbuk 1 South Korea Kim Min-woo Suwon
April Brazil Edgar Daegu — South Korea Lee Woo-hyung Anyang 2 Serbia Fejsal Mulić Seongnam
May Brazil Cesinha Daegu — South Korea Park Kun-ha Suwon 1 South Korea Lee Ki-je Suwon
June — — South Korea Kim Tae-wan Gimcheon 2 South Korea Paik Seung-ho Jeonbuk
July — — South Korea Jo Sung-hwan Incheon 1 South Africa Lars Veldwijk Suwon FC
August Brazil Gustavo Jeonbuk South Korea Eom Ji-sung Gwangju South Korea Hong Myung-bo Ulsan 1 South Korea Lee Chung-yong Ulsan
September South Korea Cho Young-wook Seoul South Korea Seol Young-woo Ulsan South Korea Lee Byung-keun Daegu 1 South Korea Paik Seung-ho Jeonbuk
October South Korea Lee Dong-gyeong Ulsan South Korea Um Won-sang Gwangju South Korea Nam Ki-il Jeju 1 South Korea Lee Hee-gyun Gwangju
November South Korea Hong Jeong-ho Jeonbuk South Korea Seol Young-woo Ulsan South Korea An Ik-soo Seoul 1 South Korea Moon Seon-min Jeonbuk

Annual awards

The 2021 K League Awards was held on 7 December 2021.[4]

Award Winner Club
Most Valuable Player South Korea Hong Jeong-ho Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Young Player of the Year South Korea Seol Young-woo Ulsan Hyundai
Top goalscorer South Korea Joo Min-kyu Jeju United
Top assist provider South Korea Kim Bo-kyung Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Manager of the Year South Korea Kim Sang-sik Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Position Best XI
Goalkeeper South Korea Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan)
Defenders South Korea Kang Sang-woo
(Pohang) 		South Korea Hong Jeong-ho
(Jeonbuk) 		Netherlands Dave Bulthuis
(Ulsan) 		South Korea Lee Ki-je
(Suwon)
Midfielders South Korea Lee Dong-jun
(Ulsan) 		Brazil Cesinha
(Daegu) 		Georgia (country) Valeri Qazaishvili
(Ulsan) 		South Korea Lim Sang-hyub
(Pohang)
Forwards South Africa Lars Veldwijk (Suwon FC) South Korea Joo Min-kyu (Jeju)

Controversies

On 12 December 2021, Gangwon FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen faced one another in the second leg of the Promotion-relegation play-offs, with the latter team finding himself in advantage after winning the first leg 1–0. Played at Gangneung Stadium, Gangwon's home soil, the match saw the hosts secure a 4–1 comeback victory and maintain their spot in K League 1. However, the game was marred by a series of incidents, occurring between the first and the second half. After Han Kook-young had scored Gangwon's third goal in the 31st minute, the ball boys around the stadium reportedly started to delay giving the ball back to Daejeon players, an event that happened multiple times during the match and was possibly meant to waste time in favour of the hosts: the fans in the away sector reacted furiously, with some of them throwing plastic bottles in direction of one of the ball boys. The game still went ahead, as six minutes of extra time were added at the end of the second half. The K League administration decided to open an official investigation on the controversial events.[5][6]

When asked to talk about the incidents, Gangwon's director Lee Young-pyo originally dismissed them, pointing out that similar instances were already common in European football, but later apologized, saying that he felt "direct responsibility" for the "unsmooth match" and promising that he would work so that Gangwon FC would become "a mature club" in the future.[5] Meanwhile, on December 21, just hours before K League's final disciplinary meeting took place, the Daejeon board released an official response to the matter, stating that there was "clear evidence of the game delays being intentional and organized", as well as noticing that such acts violated the league's Code of Ethics for fair play and respect.[5][7]

In the end, the league's administration decided to keep the final score unchanged: however, Gangwon FC was fined 30 million South Korean Won (US$25,000) for the episodes of time wasting, whereas Daejeon Hana Citizen was fined 2 million South Korean Won (US$1,677) for their fans' behavior towards one of the ball boys.[5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "K League Official Club Profiles Page".
  2. ^ '교체 횟수 초과' 광주, 제주전 0–3 몰수패 (in Korean). News1. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b "K League / Record". K League.
  4. ^ [K리그 대상]'전북 첫 5연패' 홍정호 MVP·김상식 감독상 '독식'…영플레이어상 설영우(종합). Naver (in Korean). Kukmin Ilbo. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Neat, Paul (21 December 2021). "Gangwon FC fined for Playoff Final "ballboy controversy"". K League United. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b Lee, Seok-moo (21 December 2021). '볼보이 고의 지연 논란' 강원FC, 제재금 3천만원..."구단 책임 커". Naver (in Korean). Edaily. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  7. ^ Kim, Myeong-seok (21 December 2021). "강원 볼보이 논란, 누군가 지시 없이는 불가능" 대전, 철저한 진상조사 요구. Naver (in Korean). Starnews Korea. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2021_K_League_1&oldid=1219547561"