In this year’s professional football K-League, the ‘22-year-old rule’ is a hot potato.
The main point of this regulation, which was prepared in the wake of the 2012 London Olympics, is to guarantee that at least two young players (one starter and one substitute) for each team under the age of 22 (U-22) can play. Failure to comply with this rule reduces replacement cards to 3 instead of 5.
There is a high voice that this regulation, which forced damage to active players for the future of Korean football, should now disappear. The trick of putting in a U-22 player for the purpose of circumventing the rules and then taking it out in 15 minutes drew criticism. The Korea Football Association also recognizes the problem of the 22-year-old rule and is operating a task force team on the premise of revising the rule.
However, until the association abolishes the regulations, evil laws are also laws. Looking at the K-League 1 leaderboard this year, joys and sorrows vary depending on how well they adapt to the 22-year-old rule. Most of the teams that have reached the top ranks or have hopes of a reversal are not worried about the 22-year-old rule.
Pohang Steelers (3rd place, 4 wins, 4 draws), who forgot how to lose this year, is a representative example. Pohang eased concerns about the 22-year-old rule as Koh Young-jun (22), who was raised in youth, scored 4 goals (tied for 3rd place) in 8 games. A 22-year-old rule and a starting player (starting in 7 games), he made a big success by scoring 2 goals in a confrontation with leader Ulsan Hyundai on the 22nd (2-2 draw). In the current atmosphere, it seems that he will easily surpass last year’s attack points (6 goals, 4 assists).
It is the same that FC Seoul, which rose to second place despite two defeats, has no worries about the 22-year-old rule. Lee Tae-seok (21), a side defender, is the only one to play as a starter in all games (8 K-League 1 matches and 1 FA Cup match). In his third year of debut, he is now a solid main defender regardless of the 22-year-old rule. Seoul’s striker Kang Seong-jin (20), who was selected for the national team and has experience in A-matches, can also use the 22-year-old rule, earning envy from rivals.
Gwangju FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen, who are creating a sensation for promoted teams, are not worried about the 22-year-old rule. In Gwangju, Um Ji-seong (21), who has already been proven in the K-League 2, is holding out. Um Ji-seong has played 3 games this year, less than half of them, but has 1 goal and 1 assist. Daejeon is recognizing the possibility of Bae Jun-ho (20) to the point where he is guaranteed to play in 4 games even though he is in his second year. Byun Junsu (21) is also a super joker who has broken the 22-year-old rule.먹튀검증
In Daegu FC, which succeeded in rebounding, side defender Hwang Jae-won (21) and defensive midfielder Lee Jin-yong (22) played 8 and 7 games, respectively, establishing themselves as the main players.
On the contrary, the rest of the teams are likely to struggle with the rest of the season due to the 22-year-old rule issue. Since there is no player suitable for the professional level, it is expected that the skit of putting in a young player and then taking it out early will be repeated in the future. In the meantime, it would be fortunate if there was a player who would settle down in the K-League 1, but if not, the existence value of the 22-year-old rule is a reality that fans cannot help but question.