The South Korean football league announced kickoff times and matchups for the upcoming opening weekend on Wednesday. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said the official season opener for the K League 1 between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings will begin at 7 p.m. on May 8. Jeonbuk are the three-time defending champions, and Suwon won the 2019 FA Cup. Jeonbuk will host the showdown at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul. The leagu

The national football governing body said Tuesday its signature tournament will kick off May 9. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the 2020 FA Cup will begin with the first round featuring 32 semi-pro and amateur clubs from the K3, K4 and K5 Leagues. The tournament, which will also feature top-tier pro clubs, was slated to have begun March 14 but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Early matches will be played without fans in the stands to prevent the spread of the virus. The

The South Korean football league said Monday all players and coaches on its 22 teams across two divisions will be tested for the coronavirus before the start of their seasons next month. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said the 12 teams in the first-division K League 1 and 10 clubs in the K League 2 will be subject to testing, prior to the May 8 kickoff. The 2020 season was slated to begin on Feb. 29, but the coronavirus pandemic forced the league to postpone the start. Last

With the start of the new season around the corner, the South Korean football league said Monday it has sold broadcasting rights to 10 countries this year, mostly in Asia and Europe. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) added that its international rights holder, Sportsradar AG, has been fielding more inquiries from other countries since announcing its new kickoff date last week. The K League said last Friday its 2020 season, in both the top-flight K League 1 and second-tier K Le

After more than two months of delay caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the South Korean men's professional football season will kick off on May 8. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced Friday that its top-flight K League 1 and the second-tier K League 2 will both begin their 2020 season on May 8. The official opening match will have three-time defending champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors host Suwon Samsung Bluewings at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers so

The Korean soccer league will meet with club officials Friday to determine the new kickoff date for the season delayed by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The K League said Wednesday that its board meeting with club executives will take place at 2 p.m. Friday at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul. There are 12 teams in the top-flight K League 1 and 10 clubs in K League 2. Their season was slated to kick off on Feb. 29, but the league postponed it indefinitely five days prior due to

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min reported to a Marine Corps unit on Monday to begin his three-week military training on the southern island of Jeju. Son will be in camp until May 8, fulfilling requirements of the military service exemption he earned by winning the men's football gold medal for South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games. Able-bodied South Korean men must serve about two years in the armed forces. But Son only needs to complete basic training and 544 hours of commun

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min will begin his three-week military training this week at a Marine Corps boot camp on the southern island of Jeju to fulfill his minimum military duty after he was given an exemption from mandatory military service. Son, 28, will join the 9th Brigade of the Marine Corps on Monday and undergo training until May 8. He earned his exemption from the military service by winning the gold medal for South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games. Instead of serving around

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min will take part in a three-week basic training for mandatory military service required by South Korea, sources familiar with that matter said Thursday. He is exempt from conscription but will receive the training at a Marine Corps camp on Jeju Island from April 20. All able-bodied South Korean men must serve active duty for at least 18 months, but athletes who win gold at the Asian Games or a medal of any color at the Olympics can complete a basic train

Tottenham Hotspur's injured South Korean star Son Heung-min has returned home to continue his rehab for a fractured arm, due to the spread of the coronavirus in Britain, sources said Monday. They said Son arrived back in South Korea from London on Saturday afternoon. Son suffered a broken right forearm during a Premier League match against Aston Villa on Feb. 16 and underwent surgery in Seoul five days later. He returned to London earlier this month, and following a two-week self-isolation pe

Faced with a financial crunch stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the South Korean national football federation will temporarily slash the pay of its executives. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Thursday the monthly salaries for its senior executives, starting from department directors and above, will be cut by 20 percent beginning this month. The pay cut may remain in effect through the end of the year, according to a KFA official. The KFA's revenue is expected to fall by an est

In normal circumstances, the men's professional football season in South Korea should be under way by now. But with the novel coronavirus wreaking havoc throughout the country, these are far from normal times. And the 2020 K League season, which was supposed to have started Feb. 29 but has been postponed indefinitely, may not even kick off in March. A league official said Wednesday it has become "unlikely" that the season will start this month. The K League is preparing for further

Postponed Olympic women's football qualifying matches between South Korea and China have been rescheduled for June in light of the coronavirus outbreaks in both countries. The Korea Football Association said Monday it was informed by the Asian Football Confederation that the home-and-home playoff series between the nations will be played on June 4 and 9. Venues will be determined later. The winning team, based on the aggregate score after the two matches, will qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympi

LONDON (AFP) -- Premier League players and officials will not take part in the traditional pre-match handshake from this weekend over fears about the spread of the coronavirus. Teams have been told by Premier League chiefs that they will still line up as usual before kick-of, but the home team will walk past the away side without shaking hands. The measure is in respond to the threat of the potentially deadly virus, with more than 90,000 cases reported in 87 countries. "The Premier Leag

The Asian football governing body has inched closer to postponing World Cup qualifying matches following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Tuesday it has had preliminary discussions with some East Zone member associations regarding fixtures for the 2022 FIFA World Cup regional qualifiers. The East Zone nations include South Korea, China, Japan and Australia. The AFC added that it will meet with West Zone nations -- those in Central Asia and th