Incheon United left with more guilty fans than bottles thrown after full-time fracas

Nearly 120 fans that threw water bottles at players after a K League 1 match between Incheon United and FC Seoul in Incheon on May 11 voluntarily turned themselves in to the club ahead of a disciplinary meeting on Wednesday.

FC Seoul and Incheon United react to spectators who threw water bottles on the pitch after a K League 1 match at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon on May 11. [YONHAP]

Nearly 120 fans that threw water bottles at players after a K League 1 match between Incheon United and FC Seoul in Incheon on May 11 voluntarily turned themselves in to the club ahead of a disciplinary meeting on Wednesday.

The incident on May 11 happened after the final whistle, when spectators began throwing water bottles onto the pitch following an interaction between FC Seoul goalkeeper Baek Jong-bum and fans. Other players, including those from Incheon, walked over and confronted spectators, but they continued throwing water bottles.

Incheon said through a statement on May 13 that it will not take legal action against those involved if they voluntarily turn themselves in before May 19, although it will still hand down its own punishment.

It is unclear whether there are more perpetrators than the 120 that have confessed, as an Incheon official told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Tuesday that the club does not know exactly how many people threw bottles, although there were about 105 bottles on the pitch.

The club official was unable to explain why more people have declared their own guilt than there were water bottles on the pitch.

The K League ordered Incheon on May 16 to close the supporters’ zone for five upcoming home matches — forcing Incheon to do so until they host Suwon FC on July 21 — and fined the club 20 million won ($14,800) for the incident.

The club said on May 13 that any spectator that did not turn themself in will be referred to the police and the club will seek damages for loss of income caused by the incident.

How the club will punish the fans that did turn themselves in will be decided at a disciplinary meeting on Wednesday. The club's options are limited, however, and it is unlikely to be able to regain the money lost from the incident. In fact, the club is more likely to lose more money — the typical punishment options available to football teams suspending or banning fans.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]