Natl. football team's sellout streak ends as fans express displeasure

South Korea failed to sell out their World Cup qualifying match in Seoul on Thursday, the first time since October last year that the Taegeuk Warriors did not play in front of a full house at home.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said about 4,000 tickets had been left unsold an hour before the 8 p.m. kickoff for the Group B match of the third round in the Asian World Cup qualification between South Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

The stadium seats about 65,000.

South Korea had last failed to sell out at home on Oct. 13 last year, with 59,018 fans on hand for a friendly against Tunisia.

The team sold out the next four matches at home -- a friendly versus Vietnam at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, just south of Seoul, and World Cup qualifying matches against Singapore in November, Thailand in March and China in June.

The KFA had raised prices for tickets in the home supporter section behind the goal at the north end of the stadium, from 35,000 won ($26.20) to 50,000 won. Prices for tickets in some other sections went up by as much as 10,000 won.

The KFA explained that it only followed the guidelines set by the Asian Football Confederation, which asks host nations to ensure prices for tickets provided to away teams do not exceed those available to fans for the home team.

Cynics claimed that the KFA was trying to take money out of fans' pockets to fund construction of a new national football center in the central town of Cheonan, and to help pay for the buyout owed to former head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who was fired in February.

Some fans had also said they would boycott this match to show their displeasure with the way the KFA handled its coaching hiring process following Klinsmann's dismissal.

After interviewing foreign-born candidates, the KFA abruptly turned to homegrown tactician Hong Myung-bo, who had previously coached South Korea from 2013 to 2014.

Fans were angry at the way the KFA practically pleaded with Hong to take the job after failing to reach a deal with other candidates, and the way Hong did an about-face to accept the offer after publicly spurning the KFA's overtures.

Those who chose to attend the match demonstrated their indignation in other ways. Boos rained down on Hong when he was introduced before the match. Then after the two teams' national anthems, supporters called for the head of the KFA President Chung Mong-gyu, chanting "Chung Mong-gyu, get out!" while holding up a few banners taking shots at both Chung and Hong.

Fans also booed Hong whenever he was shown on the stadium's two scoreboards.