One of the most curious stories in the world of football comes from South Korean football thanks to the ‘army team’, the Gimcheon Sangmu. Set to ‘give’ sorting to Seoul FC of Jesse Lingard (31 years old) in the next edition of Asian Champions League.
Before starting to talk about said equipment, it’s important to put it in context officially South Korea and North Korea They are still at war and have mandatory military service which, in the case of South Koreans, must be completed by all men between the ages of 18 and 35 and lasts at least 18 months.
The only exception in the world of sports is being a champion in Asian Games or become a medalist in Olympics. Case like attack Tottenham, Son of Heung Minwho was able to reduce the service time to three weeks by winning the gold medal in 2018 Asian Games.
Therefore, due to the long duration of the ‘military’, in 1984 was created Sangmu Soccer Team so that footballers can continue their careers, even if it is under military orders. In its short history, the ‘army group’ passed through four cities before settling down Sangmu in 2021a town very close to the headquarters of the armed forces.
The template changes completely every 2 years and consists of players who perform military service and have been transferred of other teams after undergoing performance tests.
In addition, all players arrive in uniform at matches, give a military salute before starting the match and may be summoned with their team, where they also perform the corresponding salute.
In their 40 years of existence rises and falls between K League 1 and the K League 2 (first and second), with a sixth place in 2016 as the highest milestone. But this year they outdid themselves and achieved a historic and surprising feat third place after being promoted last year.
Furthermore, for their excellent season several players were awarded the awards gala of K-League and they entered into perfect eleven of the year.
Also, despite having a third place that would give them access to Asian Champions LeagueThe AFC (Asian Football Federation) is not recognized as a professional football team and will allow the fourth place team, the Seoul FC from english Jesse Lingardcompete in the highest competition on the continent.
The English attacker, former Manchester United, West Ham and Nottingham Forest and 32 times international with Englandyou will have a chance to compete first time the most prestigious tournament in Asia.
What is clear is that, even if they are not going to play the Asian championthis group of players from Gimcheon Sangmu Not only did he leave his legacy in the military service of his country, but he left his legacy in the entire world of football.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
