2021 K League 1
39th season of the top division of professional football in South Korea
Football league season
 | |
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 27 February – 5 December 2021 |
| Champions | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (9th title) |
| Relegated | Gwangju FC |
| Champions League | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Ulsan Hyundai Daegu FC |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Goals scored | 563 (2.47 per match) |
| Best Player | Hong Jeong-ho |
| Top goalscorer | Joo Min-kyu (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Ulsan 5–0 Gangwon (1 March 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Daegu 0–5 Jeju (31 October 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Seoul 3–4 Jeonbuk (5 September 2021) |
| Highest attendance | 6,199 |
| Lowest attendance | 1,218 |
← 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
- Sangju Sangmu (renamed Gimcheon Sangmu)
- Busan IPark
Promoted from K League 2
Locations
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 |  Lee Byung-keun | Daegu Government | Goal Studio | DGB Daegu Bank AJIN Industrial Co., Ltd. |
| Gangwon FC | Kim Byung-soo | Gangwon Provincial Government | Applerind | Kangwon Land |
| Gwangju FC | Kim Ho-young | Gwangju Government | Kelme | |
| Incheon United | Jo Sung-hwan | Incheon Government | Macron | Shinhan Bank Incheon International Airport |
| Jeju United | Nam Ki-il | SK Energy | Puma | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Kim Sang-sik | Hyundai Motor Company | Hummel | |
| Pohang Steelers | Kim Gi-dong | POSCO | Puma | Pohang Government |
| Seongnam FC | Kim Nam-il | Seongnam Government | Umbro | |
| FC Seoul | Park Jin-sub | GS Group | Le Coq Sportif | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Park Kun-ha | Cheil Worldwide | Puma | Samsung Electronics |
| Suwon FC | Kim Do-kyun | Suwon Government | Hummel | |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 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 |  Césinha | Edgar | Lamas |  Tsubasa Nishi | Serginho | |
| Gangwon FC |  Vladimir Silađi |  Momchil Tsvetanov | Matija Ljujić |  Rustam Ashurmatov | Masatoshi Ishida | |
| Gwangju FC | Reis | Aleksandar Andrejević | Johnathan | Felipe | ||
| Incheon United |  Stefan Mugoša |  Elías Aguilar | Negueba |  Harrison Delbridge | ||
| Jeju United |  Oskar Zawada |  Gerso Fernandes | Islom Kenjaboev | |||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |  Modou Barrow | Gustavo |  Stanislav Iljutcenko | Takahiro Kunimoto |  Sasalak Haiprakhon | |
| Pohang Steelers |  Manuel Palacios |  Mario Kvesić |  Borys Tashchy | Alex Grant | ||
| Seongnam FC |  Richard Windbichler | Fejsal Mulić |  Sergiu Buș | Jamshid Iskanderov | ||
| FC Seoul |  Osmar | Aleksandar Paločević | Gabriel | Connor Chapman | Ikromjon Alibaev | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings |  Doneil Henry | Uroš Đerić |  Nicolao Dumitru | Terry Antonis | ||
| Suwon FC |  Lars Veldwijk | Murilo | Tardeli | Lachlan Jackson | Victor | |
| Ulsan Hyundai |  Dave Bulthuis |  Valeri Qazaishvili | Jason Davidson Lukas Hinterseer |
- ^ 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:
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:
- ^ 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
Source: K League
Round 34–38
| Team ╲ Round | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Daegu FC | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeju United | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Suwon FC | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| FC Seoul | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Incheon United | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Pohang Steelers | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Seongnam FC | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Gangwon FC | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Gwangju FC | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
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.
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:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
Matches 34–38
Teams played each other once, either at home or away.
Final A
Source: K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. | Final B
Source: K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
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.
| Gangwon FC | 4–1 | Daejeon 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 | Joo Min-kyu | Jeju United | 22 |
| 2 | Lars Veldwijk | Suwon FC | 18 |
| 3 | Gustavo | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 15 |
| Stanislav Iljutcenko | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | ||
| 5 | Fejsal Mulić | Seongnam FC | 13 |
| 6 | Lee Dong-jun | Ulsan Hyundai | 11 |
| Lim Sang-hyub | Pohang Steelers | ||
| 8 | Edgar | Daegu FC | 10 |
| Song Min-kyu | Pohang Steelers Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | ||
| Aleksandar Paločević | FC Seoul |
Top assist providers
| Rank | Player[3] | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Bo-kyung | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 10 |
| Murilo | Suwon FC | ||
| 3 | Kang Sang-woo | Pohang Steelers | 8 |
| 4 | Lee Yeong-jae | Suwon FC | 7 |
| Cesinha | Daegu FC | ||
| Sin Jin-ho | Pohang Steelers | ||
| 7 | Elías Aguilar | Incheon United | 6 |
| Na Sang-ho | FC Seoul | ||
| Kim Tae-hwan | Ulsan Hyundai | ||
| Lars Veldwijk | Suwon FC |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lim Sang-hyub | Pohang Steelers | Suwon FC | 3–4 | 18 May 2021 |
| Gustavo4 | Jeonbouk Hyundai Motors | Seongnam FC | 1–5 | 6 June 2021 |
| 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 | Ki Sung-yueng | Seoul | — | Kim Sang-sik | Jeonbuk | 1 | Kim Min-woo | Suwon | |
| April | Edgar | Daegu | — | Lee Woo-hyung | Anyang | 2 | Fejsal Mulić | Seongnam | |
| May | Cesinha | Daegu | — | Park Kun-ha | Suwon | 1 | Lee Ki-je | Suwon | |
| June | — | — | Kim Tae-wan | Gimcheon | 2 | Paik Seung-ho | Jeonbuk | ||
| July | — | — | Jo Sung-hwan | Incheon | 1 | Lars Veldwijk | Suwon FC | ||
| August | Gustavo | Jeonbuk | Eom Ji-sung | Gwangju | Hong Myung-bo | Ulsan | 1 | Lee Chung-yong | Ulsan |
| September | Cho Young-wook | Seoul | Seol Young-woo | Ulsan | Lee Byung-keun | Daegu | 1 | Paik Seung-ho | Jeonbuk |
| October | Lee Dong-gyeong | Ulsan | Um Won-sang | Gwangju | Nam Ki-il | Jeju | 1 | Lee Hee-gyun | Gwangju |
| November | Hong Jeong-ho | Jeonbuk | Seol Young-woo | Ulsan | An Ik-soo | Seoul | 1 | Moon Seon-min | Jeonbuk |
Annual awards
The 2021 K League Awards was held on 7 December 2021.[4]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Hong Jeong-ho | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Young Player of the Year | Seol Young-woo | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Top goalscorer | Joo Min-kyu | Jeju United |
| Top assist provider | Kim Bo-kyung | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Manager of the Year | Kim Sang-sik | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Position | Best XI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan) | |||
| Defenders | Kang Sang-woo (Pohang) | Hong Jeong-ho (Jeonbuk) | Dave Bulthuis (Ulsan) | Lee Ki-je (Suwon) |
| Midfielders | Lee Dong-jun (Ulsan) | Cesinha (Daegu) | Valeri Qazaishvili (Ulsan) | Lim Sang-hyub (Pohang) |
| Forwards | Lars Veldwijk (Suwon FC) | 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
- ^ "K League Official Club Profiles Page".
- ^ '교체 횟수 초과' 광주, 제주전 0–3 몰수패 (in Korean). News1. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ a b "K League / Record". K League.
- ^ [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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
