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Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
전북 현대 모터스
Full name
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club
전북 현대 모터스 축구단
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club (Korean: 전북 현대 모터스) are a professional football club based in Jeollabuk-do, South Korea. Home stadium in Jeonju, capital city of Jeonbuk (North Jeolla), They won their first K-League title in 2009. Prior to this, the club won the AFC Champions League title in 2006, becoming the first club from East Asia to win the tournament since the AFC Champions League was launched in its current format in 2003, and for a time being the only team in the world to have become continental champions without ever having won a domestic title. This title guaranteed Jeonbuk's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2006.
Jeonbuk are one of only two clubs to have won Korean FA Cup on more than one occasion (in 2000, 2003, 2005). Jeonbuk became the champion of the K-League for the first time in their history in 2009. The club's color is green which is also the color of Jeonbuk Province. Jeonbuk have been playing at the 42,477 capacity Jeonju World Cup Stadium (nicknamed Jeonju Castle) since 2002.
On 22 October 2011, Jeonbuk claimed their first-place spot in the K-League for the second time in their history. Furthermore, they reached the final of the AFC Champions League, where they reached runners-up position to Al-Sadd after a dramatic penalty-shootout.[1]
On 5 December 2011, Jeonbuk confirmed the K-League title with a 4–2 aggregate victory in the play-off final against Ulsan Hyundai.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor's predecessor was founded in January 1993 under the original name of Wansan Puma FC. Oh Hyung-Kun was the founder of the team, which was the first team to be named after a home location in the history of the K-League.
However, they were not able to raise enough funds and Wansan Puma FC went into bankruptcy before they could take their place in the K-League. Many people were eager to keep their club and Bobae Ltd., a local alcohol manufacturer, fortunately offered financial support to the club. The club joined the K-League in 1994 after changing its name to 'Jeonbuk Buffalo'. The team began losing money and the team was dissolved after final match in 1994 season. In 1994, Korea was under 2002 World Cup bid campaign, So Hyundai Motors took over Jeonbuk Buffalo's players and launched new club as Jeonbuk Dinos on December 12, 1994.
K-League officially stated that Jeonbuk Buffalo and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are different club. Therefore Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors's history and statistics and records are from December 12, 1994.
Since 1994, Jeonbuk have not seriously challenged for the Korean League title, often languishing in mid-table. After Choi Gang-hee was appointed manager in July 2005, Jeonbuk won the Korean FA Cup in December of that year. In 2006, Jeonbuk finished a disappointing eleventh in the Korean League, however the season had a surprising ending, as Jeonbuk won their first AFC Champions Cup final in Homs, Syria. En route to the final they defeated the champions of Japan and China, Gamba Osaka and Dalian Shide, and they also beat Ulsan Horang-i, the champion of Korea, in the semi-final. They triumphed 3–2 on aggregate over Al-Karamah, the champion of Syria, in the final.
They had an opportunity to join the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2006 as AFC Champions. They lost their first game 0–1 to Club América in the semi-final on December 10, however, they defeated Auckland City 3–0 on December 14 and finished fifth in the tournament.
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Cha Kyung-bok
Fabio Lefundes
Choi Kang-hee
Fabio Lefundes
