Drunk driving cases of foreign players are on the rise. A player who commits a mistake is fine if the contract is terminated, but the club and the fans receive the damage. 

On the 7th, Suwon FC striker Lars 메이저사이트 was caught by the police for drunk driving. It has been four months since Jonathan Moya (Hyderabad FC), who was a member of FC Anyang, left the K-League after drunk driving in April. Suwon FC, which said, “We will do our best to ensure that there is no case of recurrence,” is known to have entered the process of terminating the contract with Las Vegas.

Since last year, three foreign players have been caught driving under the influence. An official from a club that closely supports foreign players said, “The cultural difference is really big. Foreign players often touch their cell phones or take pictures or videos while driving. Their perception of laws and regulations is completely different from ours. It seems that the ignorance that comes from this kind of thing is also a big cause. (For now) the only thing we can do is to keep people aware that this is happening.” 

Even if players drink and drive, it is enough to leave Korea and find a new team. In fact, in the 2022 season, Kunimoto (Johor Darul Takjim), who was active in Jeonbuk Hyundai, stepped on the stage of the Portuguese Primeira Liga (Part 1) after terminating the contract with Jeonbuk for drunk driving. After breaking up with Anyang, Jonathan returned to his home country, Costa Rica, and trained with his former team. Afterwards, he progressed to the Indian Super League. Regarding this, there are even voices saying that foreign players are deliberately driving drunk in order to transfer to a team with better conditions. 

An official in the soccer world expressed regret, saying, “It’s okay when a player leaves, but the scars are left to the fans.” After all, it is clear that Lars will find a new team without difficulty. The club and fans have to endure the damage and injury caused by the player’s fault. 

Lars played 22 K-League 1 games this season and scored 9 goals and 5 assists, and has a great influence to rank first in the Suwon FC scoring and assisting category. Suwon FC, which ranks 10th out of 12 teams in the first division, lost its leading goal scorer when it had to do its best to escape the relegation zone. To make matters worse, the summer transfer market is closed, so players cannot be reinforced. The image of the club was also cracked. Fans who were only in love with Lars’ performance and cheered for him could feel an extreme sense of betrayal. 

Improving the awareness of foreign players about drunk driving is an urgent priority. In addition, it is pointed out that there must be a device to control the easy transfer of the team after the contract is terminated due to a player’s fault. An official from the Professional Football Federation said, “We are aware that there is room for abuse, such as the Jonathan case, and we have discussed this. We only exchanged opinions about whether a device (to prevent transfers) would be needed.”