"This is not soccer. This is war." | OneFootball

To casual followers of Korean football, newly-promoted FC Anyang visiting championship contenders FC Seoul might be just another fixture. But Seoul's origins and Anyang's decade without a club has left a permanent scar on the city. The clubs will meet for the first time in K League this Saturday. What awaits the bumper crowd?

The stage is set. Saturday, February 22, 16:30. Seoul World Cup Stadium. It will be biting, and that's not just the miserably cold afternoon forecast as spring delays its arrival. With just one previous meeting (in the Cup) and not much in the way of top flight experience in the away team dressing room, the hostilities are likely to come from the stands.

FC Anyang fans set off flares at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Credit: Yonhap News Agency

FC Anyang's fans don't like Seoul, and what Seoul's supporters feel about Anyang is about to be revealed. When the sides met in that Cup game in 2017, one newspaper led with the quote; "This is not soccer. This is war." Seoul won the match 2-0 but the events on the pitch were completely overshadowed by Anyang's incredible pyro display which forced firefighters to patrol the away end for the remainder of the game.

Before kickoff, away fans unfurled giant red banners and let off several dozen purple flares, filling the sky with smoke. The choice of color is important, and we'll get onto that later. Footage from the day can be found on YouTube. It resembles a war zone or a game in Eastern Europe more than a mid April Cup tie by the banks of the Han. For this stunt, Anyang were fined seven million won, paid for by the fans following a collection. It is unlikely we'll witness an event similar this weekend but let's not write it off just yet.

The Seoul-Anyang rivalry already has a name, like many other fixtures in Korea; theYeongoji Derby, roughly translating as Hometown Transfer Derby, even though the clubs represent neighboring cities. There are some within the Anyang fan base who refuse to call it a derby; more, a "Northern Expedition." If last Sunday's performance in Munsu is any indicator of a trend, then these two clubs, separated by 24 km, will soon become very familiar. A genuine rivalry. But the ledger currently reads Seoul 1, Anyang 0.

Anyang LG Cheetahs

In 1996, LG Cheetahs were evicted from Seoul along with two other clubs (Ilhwa Chunma and Yukong Elephants) due to the K League's decentralization policy. The Cheetahs were playing in the now demolished Dongdaemun Stadium but were assured, like the other two clubs, that they could return to the capital in the future if they built football-specific stadiums.

The Cheetahs headed down Line 1 to Anyang, occupying the city's multi-purpose stadium that's still in use today. LG's move south helped create one of Korean football's best rivalries of the era with Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Named theJijidae Derby, the two clubs, along with the current iterations of Busan IPark and Seongnam FC, would dominate the domestic landscape for over a decade. A fan group, called A.S.U. REDS, was formed, matching the color of their jerseys. Football culture was developing and it looked like they were here to stay.

Already two-time League winners from their previous homes in Cheonan and Seoul, the Cheetahs won their first Anyang-based championship in 2000. Two years previously, they claimed their maiden Korean FA Cup title, and around the time the country was hosting the FIFA World Cup, Anyang and Suwon's rivalry would reach its peak in Tehran. The Bluewings defeated Anyang in the AFC Champions League Final on penalties.

Still under the management of Cho Kwang-rae, the Cheetahs returned to Anyang in 2003 but word was already spreading of a possible relocation. The Seoul World Cup Stadium needed a permanent tenant and while it was thought Busan I'Cons would make the move, LG Cheetahs took the call and football fans in Anyang grew up to a very harsh new world; professional football was dead in their city. FC Seoul were born.

The K League had initially hoped to create a new Seoul-based franchise but as part of that formation, and subsequent use of the World Cup Stadium, the new club would be forced to pay a considerable fee towards the construction of an already completed stadium. Naturally, this turned prospective new owners off but LG, an enormous conglomerate, were prepared to pick up the tab and return to Seoul after their expulsion nearly a decade previously.

Seoul have gone on to achieve enormous things since their move back across the Han River. The rivalry with Suwon maintains - although it has been put on ice for two seasons minimum - and the club has won everything possible domestically, with just the AFC Champions League proving elusive. They set attendance records and have the power and financial might to attract big names like Jesse Lingard to the club.

The bitter and acrimonious departure from Anyang would later be turned into ashort documentary called FC Sukhavati. The film was co-directed by Anyang citizens and members of the main supporters' group, RED. They met with fans to hear about the club's move to Seoul, the years of abandonment, and subsequent efforts to start a new club in the city. FC Sukhavati would enjoy limited screen-time in France, the UK, and other global destinations.

FC Anyang

On November 16, 2003, Anyang LG Cheetahs played their final match, ending the season in 8th, nearly 40 points adrift of Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in first. That would be the end of football in the city for 10 years. As the decade rolled by, several clubs were formed or went bust. But Anyang's ugly grey bowl sat idly by in the foothills of Gwanak Mountain. Supporters had watched Seoul claim a couple of titles and Jeonbuk's arrival as a major force. But for them, it must have felt very far away.

Then, in late 2012, official plans were published to create a new city-owned club, although moves had been underway for some time. There was obviously opposition within the local council but nonetheless, FC Anyang were established in early 2013, immediately joining K League Challenge/K League 2. One month later, they played their first game against the now defunct Goyang Hi FC. The club finished 5th of eight teams in their debut season.

For much of the next half dozen years, Anyang were a mid table K League 2 club. That changed when they reached the Playoff Finals in 2019 and 2021. In 2022, they took Suwon Samsung to extra time in a promotion-relegation decider. The club was clearly on an upward trajectory and despite missing out on the playoffs in 2023 on the final day, they comprehensively made up for that with their first piece of silverware last November.

The dream had been realized. Anyang were now a top flight club for the very first time. Long gone are the red kits of their Cheetahs days. They stand alone in Korean professional football wearing their all purple home kit. All that's left for them to achieve is a decent Cup run, something they've never experienced since the club's creation.

FC Anyang are now firmly established themselves in the Korean football world. They were developed rivalries of their own - notably with Ansan Greeners - and rekindled ones from the past, such as versus Suwon Samsung. Last year they would lose all three games to Suwon, who's fans mocked Anyang by hurling packets of Cheetos onto the field after each game. Anyang would have the last laugh, however, finishing well clear of Suwon in first. A penny for the thoughts of every Bluewings fan this Saturday.

FC Seoul vs. FC Anyang

So what's in store this Saturday? Well, for starters, the traveling Anyang fans have been designated three blocks in the lower tier and three blocks in the upper tier of the North Stand at Seoul World Cup Stadium. At the time of writing, all three blocks on the lower level have been sold out, and one block above is close to a sell out. This will be the biggest crowd FC Anyang have ever played in front of.

Last Sunday, they acquitted themselves marvelously in the shocking 1-0 win at Ulsan HD. Hanging on for most of the game, Anyang struck deep into injury time thanks to their Brazilian trio. Substitute Yago played a one-two with their best player Matheus Oliveira, planting a delicious first time cross onto Bruno Mota's head. The former Cheonan City striker bullied his opponent and powered an unstoppable header into the bottom corner.

24 hours before, Seoul were terrible in defeat away to Jeju United. Starting slow under Kim Gi-dong isn't unusual but what'll concern Seoul's fans was the sheer poverty of their performance. It certainly wasn't what one would expect from a team harboring genuine title hopes this season. But despite that set back, they should still have too much for Anyang. Anything other than a home win will come as a major surprise, but I'm sure the visitors will enjoy the support of most K League fans.