AFC Seorin
 | |||
| Full name | Association Football Club Seorin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Metropolitans | ||
| Founded | 1901 | ||
| Stadium | Suyang Stadium, Suyang | ||
| Capacity | 92,080 | ||
| Owner | Pharitaya Prosperity Fund (58% stake) | ||
| Chairman | Jeong Jin | ||
| Manager | Ernesto Caceres | ||
| Coach | Yoon Ju-wan | ||
| League | Commonwealth League | ||
| 2023–24 | 1st of 20 | ||
|
| |||
AFC Seorin, or Seorin, is an association football club based in Suyang, Haesan currently participating in the Commonwealth League and the 2023–24 UHFA Elite Championship. The club's routinely uses the motto "Suyang's Team", and it plays its home games at Suyang Stadium in Choejaseong-gu. A stalwart contender during the 20s and 30s, after the Great War the club faced financial difficulties and played in the second division for many years. In the 1970s, the Lagarde administration pushed the city of Suyang to build a grand stadium worthy of hosting international competitions, and Seorin moved into the cavernous Suyang Stadium, at the time, the largest capacity stadium in the IDU. The early 2000s brought the golden age of Seorin after its purchase by HS Entertainment when the club won 5 of 6 Commonwealth Shields from 2003-04 to 2008-09 and won its sole Hesperidan championship in 2005. It is now a routine contender for Hesperidan competition, and after a 15 year title drought, won its seventh Commonwealth League title in 2023-24. It was a competitor in the first ever Club World Cup.
Seorin has become controversial in recent years for its takeover by the Pharitayan Prosperity Fund, a trust built on oil revenues and managed by three of the seven ruling families of Pharitaya. After purchasing a 15% stake in 2022, in 2024 the fund bought out HS Entertainment's shares in the team to become the outright majority owner. Many human rights watchers have warned that the Fund's takeover of the club could be an attempt at "sportswashing", or using sports to distract from the Pharitayan rulers' human rights abuses. The move also reinvigorated Seorin as a contender, funding lavish transfers and lifting it from a run of mid-table performances throughout the 2010s.
AFC Seorin maintains a fierce rivalry with Suyang City F.C. in a tie named the Capital Derby, although Suyang has long since ceased to be the capital of Haesan. The resurgence of both teams as title challengers during much of the 21st century has seen the rivalry gain momentum, as for much of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s both teams were in relegation trouble and spent various stints in the Hana League, the second tier of Haesanite football.
Players
First Team Lineup
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK |  SUI
|
Eiji Kawaguchi |
| 3 | LB |  HAE
|
Lee Do-jin |
| 19 | CB | HAE
|
Kang Gi-beom |
| 22 | CB | HAE
|
Min Seon-min |
| 2 | RB |  HFL
|
Hyong Dang-gyu |
| 6 | CDM | HAE
|
Yeon Ho-yeon (C) |
| 23 | CM |  SIF
|
Nestor Fuentes |
| 40 | CM | HAE
|
Mahdi Kamoun (VC) |
| 7 | RW |  LRL
|
Xiong Hongyi |
| 18 | LW | HAE
|
Assane Soumare |
| 21 | ST | HAE
|
Seo Eui-kwon |