SEOUL, 25 June — The rainy season has finally arrived to drench the World Cup semifinals but there was no dampening Korean enthusiasm for the showdown with Germany here today.
The National Police Agency said an estimated seven million people across South Korea were expected to be on the streets of the nation to roar Guus Hiddink’s team to victory against the three-time winners.
Korea’s seasonal two-week rain front began on Sunday and the Korean Meteorological Administration said rain would “linger over the nation”. But even a downpour is unlikely to affect the atmosphere in the 65,000-capacity Seoul World Cup Stadium, where South Korea play for the first time in the tournament.
The Red Devils, South Korea’s fanatical supporters, have even promised that Germany will get the shock of their lives when they walk on the pitch for the match.
Kim Yong-il, head of the Seoul chapter of the Red Devils, said members were working on a giant slogan that will “really shock the world”.
Without giving away the message, Kim said it would be even more provocative than the “Again 1966” card display that thousands of fans put up in the second round match against Italy last week.
South Korean coach Guus Hiddink meanwhile brushed away concerns about his team’s ability to handle a wet pitch.
“If the pitches are a little bit wet then the game rises in quality because it is a little bit faster,” said the Dutchman on Sunday.
Brazil’s semifinal with Turkey in Saitama, central Japan, tomorrow is also at threat, with a 70 percent risk of rainfall according to the Meteorological Agency.
For the final in Yokohama on Sunday, the outlook is cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain.
Meanwhile, resentment in Korea was growing at suggestions that their route to the final has been eased by favorable decisions from referees. The Korean press repeated suggestions from Spanish and Italian media that a ‘conspiracy’ existed to ease the passage of the host nation that has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to stage the finals. The loudest protests are from Spain, who maintain that their bid to win a first world title was dashed when Egyptian referee Gamal Ghandour disallowed two ‘goals’ against South Korea in the quarterfinal. The match ended goalless after extra time and the Koreans won the penalty shootout.
The head of the Spanish Football Federation Angel Maria Villar expressed his displeasure over the issue by resigning from the FIFA’s referees’ committee.
A FIFA spokesman said Villar, who is also a FIFA vice president, had been persuaded to remain in his post until the end of the tournament but indicated he did not want his mandate to be renewed thereafter.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has called for a review of the entire refereeing process.
