RIYADH, 25 March 2005 — Fired by national pride let alone passion for the game of football, more than 250 Korean nationals traveled to Dammam for the World Cup qualifying match of their national team against Saudi Arabia today.
The number includes 20 football lovers who have especially arrived in Dammam to root for their heroes who put their country in the soccer world map with a phenomenal semifinal finish in the 2002 World Cup.
“The South Korean side is quite hopeful of winning the match”, said Boungi Kim, Cultural Attache at the Korean Embassy in Riyadh who is now camping in Dammam with his team.
“The enthusiasm is high among Korean nationals and many of them have come from Jeddah and Dammam to watch the game despite security concerns”, said Kim.
Soccer fans unable to go to Dammam have a chance to catch the game live on television.
Orbit Al-Riyadiyah said in a press release it will air the game starting at 7:45 p.m. as it resumes full coverage of the Asian qualifiers’ third and final stage for its valued subscribers today from 5 p.m. midnight. Non-subscribers to the network’s services will also be given the opportunity to witness Al-Riyadiyah’s superior coverage of those matches on Orbit’s free-to-air promotional channel, the press release added.
Football experts Khalid Yassine and Majid Chetali will conduct their pre and post match analysis from Al-Riyadiyah’s studios (7 p.m. KSA). Commentators for the games will be Khaled Al-Harban (Bahrain vs. North Korea, delayed coverage at 5 p.m. KSA ) and Nabil Nagshabandi with Nasser Al Ahmed (Saudi Arabia vs Korea, live coverage at 7:45 KSA).
Kim said the Korean squad arrived in Dammam on March 21. “Most of South Korea`s big guns are to see some action at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam and if we win then we have 70 percent chances of qualifying for the World Cup”, added Kim.
Hyun Sook, a South Korean housewife, said: “I will be watching the game and I hope we will emerge victorious”. “The team from Seoul looks strong as PSV Eindhoven teammates Lee Young-pyo and Park Ji-sung are on the squad, as are Wolverhampton`s Seol Ki-hyeon and goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, who plays for K-League leader Suwon Samsung.”
Sook said that “it is interesting to see the game being played by two giant soccer countries. There is unprecedented public interest in South Korea as well as in Saudi Arabia as the two countries are Asian soccer powers”.
Asked about the chances of South Korean winning the match, a Korean businessman Paul Hyun said: “one must not underestimate any of the two teams. Korea’s striking force may be challenged by net minder Mabrouk Zaid, 25”.
Hyun said: “We have decided not to go to office on Saturday to celebrate the victory, if Seoul’s boys win”. “Special Korean dishes will be prepared to mark the occasion”, he said.
South Korea’s terrestrial TV station SBS will broadcast the match via satellite in cooperation with the state-run North Korean Central Television Station.
Newspapers in South Korea have come out with special write ups on Saudi-Korean match. This soccer event is dubbed as “comparatively more interesting” because of the growing commercial, political and cultural relations between the Kingdom and South Korea.
