The 'turf controversy' has spilled over to K League 2's Suwon Samsung.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on the 7th that the schedule for the matchup between Suwon Samsung and Seoul E-Land FC, taking place at the Suwon World Cup Stadium for the 2025 Hana Bank Korea Cup Round 2, has been changed from 2 p.m. on the 22nd to 7:30 p.m. on the 19th.

This decision was made to maximize the gap before the A-match between Korea and Jordan, which will be held in the same venue on the 25th, and the fundamental cause is the turf issue at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

The turf at Seoul World Cup Stadium, a regular venue for A-matches, is currently uneven and frozen, making it difficult to conduct games normally.

In a recent K League 1 match between FC Seoul and Gimcheon Sangmu held at Seoul World Cup Stadium, players tripped over the turf and there were instances of the ball bouncing unexpectedly, leading to complaints about poor maintenance.

A temporary solution has emerged. The Seoul City government announced on the 7th that it would begin emergency restoration of the turf before the home match of FC Seoul on the 29th.

The KFA, which was aware of the poor turf conditions, decided last month to hold the two A-match friendlies in March, not at Seoul World Cup Stadium but at Goyang Sports Complex (against Oman on the 20th) and Suwon World Cup Stadium.

The match against Jordan on the 25th will be held at Suwon World Cup Stadium.

Combining this with the previous schedule, on the 22nd, Suwon Samsung will face Seoul E-Land FC at Suwon World Cup Stadium in the Korea Cup Round 2, and on the 25th, the 8th match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian Qualifiers will be held at the same venue between Korea and Jordan. There will be two matches in just three days.

The KFA expected that there would be no significant issues with playing a game within three days based on past standards.

However, the position of the Suwon World Cup Stadium Management Foundation, which manages the turf, was different.

The foundation, which has put great effort into maintaining the turf changed last October to optimal condition for Suwon Samsung home games and national team A-matches, was concerned about delays in rooting the grass due to longer than expected low temperatures. The news of needing to hold a match in just three days put significant pressure on them. Ultimately, on the 6th, they had a meeting with the KFA and coordinated the schedule with Suwon Samsung.

The KFA explained, "We decided to change the schedule considering the foundation's opinions regarding preparing for four matches from March 15 to the end of March."

According to the changed schedule, Suwon Samsung will have its K League 2 home opener against Chungnam Asan FC on March 15, the Korea Cup Round 2 on the 19th, an A-match on the 25th, and a league matchup against Jeonnam Dragons on the 29th at Suwon World Cup Stadium.

Based on the original schedule, Suwon Samsung would have faced Seoul E-Land FC in the Korea Cup after finishing the match against Chungnam Asan FC on the 15th, but that gap has been reduced to four days.

Conversely, the A-match will now be held at Suwon World Cup Stadium three days after the Korean Cup match, resulting in a six-day gap. There is a slight balance in the interval between matches.

Still, for Suwon Samsung and Seoul E-Land FC, who will not be able to have the planned long break after playing in K League 2 on the 15th before participating in the Korea Cup, the schedule change is not welcomed news.

Particularly, Suwon Samsung is disappointed that their '500th home match’ against Seoul E-Land FC will be held on a weekday, not a weekend, which would allow more fans to attend.

This is especially true as they had already prepared banners considering that the home game would be on the weekend of the 22nd.

A soccer official remarked, "If Suwon Samsung were to play as originally scheduled, they would likely have received a lot of support from fans for their 500th home match," and added, "From the club's perspective, there will be a significant difference in revenue. Both matches (the Korea Cup and the A-match) are organized by the KFA, so it's unfortunate that the schedule wasn't coordinated in advance."

There is bound to be a view that Suwon Samsung has become a scapegoat for 'the party' KFA. This official pointed out, "It must have been difficult for the club to say 'no' when receiving KFA's proposal."

A KFA official expressed regret, saying, "We regret to have caused inconvenience to Suwon Samsung, Seoul E-Land FC, and both teams' fans due to the change to a midweek match." He then explained that, "The home team, Suwon Samsung, hoped to maintain the original schedule considering fan viewing convenience. However, the association respected the foundation's explanations and positions regarding turf management and ultimately decided to change the schedule after comprehensive consideration and communication with Suwon Samsung."

[OSEN = Reporter No Jin-ju]