Stielike, Choi Kang-hee to stage battle of wits in K League All Star match

Coach Choi Kang-hee, 56, a famed coach of the K-League pro soccer, and Korea’s national team coach Uli Stielike, 61, will have a showdown. It is not a duel between Jeonbuk and the national team. The coaches will single out players of their choice among All Star players of the K League from among players picked by soccer fans, and form “Team Choi Kang-hee” and “Team Stielike.”

The Korea Professional Football League will hold the ‘2015 K-League All Star match,’ the nation’s biggest pro soccer festival, on July 17 at Wa Stadium, the home to the National Policy Agency soccer club in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.

The 22 All Star players will be picked from among 44 players who are singled out through fans’ vote (70 percent), and a vote by coaches and captions of the 12 professional teams (30 percent) based on performance that they have displayed in this season. They include two goalies, four strikers, two left midfielders, two right midfielders, two central midfielders, two left fullbacks, two right fullbacks, and two central fullbacks. Fans can participate in the vote through the principle of one ballot per day per person, which will continue through 12 midnight on June 29.

Choi and Stielike will single out their players for different positions in different timespans. First, they will select goalies, and the two coaches will compete through various methods, including throwing coins to secure two players who rank first and second in fans’ vote (specific method will be determined later), before the winning coach is given the right to choose first. Thereafter they will select fullbacks and strikers through similar methods at intervals of several days. As such, there is a chance that Jeonbuk players could come to play for “Team Stielike.” Also, if they impress Stielike through the All Star match, they could have a chance to join the national team led by Stielike.

The 22 All Stars will be composed of K League Classic players, but Challenge players could also play at the All Star match. The coaches have the authority to single out candidate players for their teams. For instance, Stielike could pick Lee Jeong-hyeop of Sangmu, the military team, and have him play at the All Star game. A source at the football association said, “A battle of wits between Choi and Stielike ranging from player selection to All Star games will be exciting to watch.”

why@donga.com