If a candidate has announced his or her candidacy, he or she will come up with at least one “representative pledge” that he or she can most confidently explain.
Chung Mong-gyu, the current chairman of the Korea Football Association, expressed his intention to seek a fourth term in the “55th election for president of the Korea Football Association.” Is there a pledge that only Chairman Chung can make.
Chairman Chung held a press conference to run for the next president of the Korea Football Association at the Pony Chung Foundation building in central Seoul on Wednesday afternoon. “I wanted to let him go,” he said. “As a person who has agonized with many people over the past 12 years and made efforts for the development of Korean soccer, I felt that I am not fulfilling my responsibilities.”
He also explained his pledges. He explained his four promises: △ Restoring the KFA’s trust through drastic reforms △ Increasing the international competitiveness of Korean soccer △ Developing the soccer industry through the Korea Football Center △ Completion of the video platform system.
The part that devoted the most time was the pledge regarding the general soccer center to be built in Cheonan. “It is not just about building stadiums and buildings. It is also a platform where young people and adult national teams can enjoy everything in Korean soccer from games to national championships and leagues, and an infrastructure to expand the entire soccer industry,” Chung said.
“We will complete all construction projects without any problems,” he said. “We will grow the sports industry and create new jobs for soccer players through the completion of the three stages of the center’s incorporation, monetization, and self-reliance,” he added.
Cheonan Football Center is a large-scale soccer town under construction starting with the groundbreaking ceremony on April 29, 2022. Located at 120 Gasan-ri, Ipjang-myeon, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, the total size of the site is 451,693㎡, about four times larger than Paju NFC. As planned, a total of 12 soccer fields, including the main stadium and indoor soccer fields, as well as gyms, accommodations, and soccer museums will be built.
Initially, the construction cost was set at a total of 300 billion won including the foundation construction cost. The Korea Football Association announced on Wednesday that a total budget of 94.1 billion won (94.1 billion won) is earmarked for the construction of a general center in 2025. As it is a large-scale project that determines a new home for Korean soccer, all candidates who challenged for the next president of the Korea Football Association have come up with commitments related to this issue.
The key question is whether Chung is the only one who can complete the project. Questions are also being raised as to whether Chung is qualified to do so. His irregularities including false application for the construction of the Cheonan Football Center were revealed earlier. For this reason, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the Korea Football Association to impose severe disciplinary measures beyond the “suspension of qualification” that can lead to his dismissal.
Nevertheless, Chairman Chung put forward his “money mobilization” as his strength. “There is no such thing as a matter of life that only someone should do. We have invested 170 billion won (170 million U.S. dollars) in the Cheonan Football Center, and we need to invest 100 billion won from now on,” Chung said. “We have completed negotiations for broadcast rights, and we are financially well prepared.” “The bank will never lend us money if we are not confident enough. The fact that the process is already underway has been verified by the association,” Chung said.
Huh Jung-moo, former chairman of Daejeon Hana Citizen, who announced his candidacy earlier, said, “It’s really necessary and proud of it,” but added, “I think the process of promotion was too hasty.” He stressed that it should be used as a “two-track” along with Paju NFC, which is currently used as a training site for the national team.
Another candidate, Shin Moon-sun, a visiting professor at Myongji University, said, “The decision to relocate the main office of the Korea Football Association to Cheonan Football Center will be reviewed from the ground up.” He then announced, “The Korea Football Association office, which has the concept of headquarters excluding management parts, technical parts, and education, will continue to reside at the Korea Football Center as it is now and use it as the headquarters, the heart of marketing.” 스포츠토토
Chairman Chung criticized the remarks, saying, “You didn’t know much about it financially.” “Paju NFC has been used for more than 20 years. The grass has been compressed a lot,” Chung said. “It is meaningless to invest in a monthly rent house even though we need to reinvest.”
“Two-track is not very efficient. Two houses cost double maintenance,” he added. “There is always criticism in the election process. There is a point where it makes sense,” he said. “I will accept the point where it makes sense. I will participate in open debates between candidates anytime.”