Incheon United
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| Full name | Incheon United Football Club 인천 유나이티드 프로축구단 |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Durumi (The Cranes) Neroazzurre (Blue-Black) |
| Short name | IUFC |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Ground |
Incheon Football Stadium (capacity: 20,891) |
| Owner | Incheon Government |
| Chairman | Mayor of Incheon |
| Manager | Lee Ki-hyung |
| League | K League Classic |
| 2016 | K League Classic, 10th |
| Website | Club home page |
Incheon United FC is a professional football club based in Incheon, the third biggest city in the South Korea. Founded in 2003, the club plays in the K League Classic, the top flight of South Korean football. The club is a so-called 'community club', with the Incheon city being the key shareholder. The club's home stadium is the Incheon Football Stadium.
Officially founded at the end of the 2003 season, the move to create a professional club in Incheon had come about in part by the construction of the Incheon Munhak Stadium for the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament. Incheon city mayor Ahn Sang-soo began the process of creating the club in earnest in June 2003 with the official founding of Incheon FC, and German Werner Lorant was appointed as manager of the team in September of that year, with Chang Woe-Ryong and Kim Si-Seok added to the coaching staff.
A public share issue was launched and ran from October to November 2003, and in December the name Incheon United was adopted. Sponsorship contracts worth a total of $4m were signed with GM Daewoo and Daeduk Construction Company, and a deal was struck with Puma to be the inaugural kit suppliers to the new club.
Lorant and his coaching staff recruited several high-profile players in a bid to make an impact on the league in the club's debut season in 2004. Goalkeeper Shim Bum-chul was recruited along with talented youngsters Choi Tae-Uk, Kim Chi-Woo and popular Japanese playmaker Masakiyo Maezono. The most high profile of the imports was Turkish international defender Alpay Özalan, recruited from English Premier League side Aston Villa.
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