FIFA sent a warning to the situation of Korean soccer, which even the president played.
Politicians have recently intervened in the controversy surrounding the appointment of former coach Jurgen Klinsmann and head coach Hong Myung-bo.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly held a plenary session of the National Assembly on Monday to ask pending questions about the Korea Football Association. Chung Mong-gyu, chairman of the Korea Football Association, Hong Myung-bo, coach of the Korean national soccer team, Lee Im-saeng, technical director of the KFA, Jeong Hae-sung, former chairman of the Korea Electric Power Reinforcement Committee, and Park Ju-ho, former member of the Korea Electric Power Reinforcement Committee, testified as witnesses.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a press conference on Oct. 2 and announced the interim results of its audit of the Korea Football Association. The ministry said, “When Klinsmann was appointed, the function of the power reinforcement committee was disabled, and Chairman Chung Mong-gyu conducted the second final interview of the coach candidate that the power reinforcement committee should conduct. The process of appointing the board of directors was also omitted.”
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism added, “There are procedural violations in the process of appointing the national team and there is a need for correction. However, since it is an area that needs to respect the professionalism and autonomy of the Korea Football Association, it gives the Korea Football Association an opportunity to correct its own mistakes rather than the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism deciding and demanding specific measures.”
Even President Yoon Suk Yeol was conscious of the public opinion. “The selection of a coach for the Korean national soccer team, which receives much attention and love from the public, should be carried out fairly and responsibly from the beginning. Make clear the truth and come up with concrete improvement measures to correct wrong practices in the field,” President Yoon said on Wednesday.
The problem is that FIFA strictly prohibits politicians from intervening in football administration. This is because sports are likely to lose their purity by being used by political logic. There have been cases in which several countries that violated this have already been disciplined.
FIFA is known to have sent a warning letter to the Korea Football Association on June 30, saying that the organization could face disciplinary action for political interference. It was the very day that President Yoon ordered an investigation into the association.
FIFA stipulates that “member associations should operate independently. They should not be subject to third-party interference” and “they should be independent from all political interference. Associations that violate this law may be subject to disciplinary action such as suspension of qualification.”
In fact, after the Kuwaiti government intervened in the sports administration, the Kuwait Football Association lost the remaining matches of the 2018 Russia World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers.
In other words, FIFA issued a warning to the Korea Football Association, saying, “If political interference continues, it could deprive us of the right to the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup.” 스포츠토토
As a result, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also concluded that there was a mistake in the process of appointing the coach of the Korea Football Association, but made a contradictory announcement, saying, “I hope the Korea Football Association will correct its mistakes on its own.” This is because the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism does not have the authority to dismiss Hong Myung-bo, the head coach, and if that happens, the political community will directly intervene.
Nevertheless, the ministry said, “The Korea Football Association does not grant autonomy to decide whether to correct (the problem) or leave it as it is. We demand to come up with reasonable measures to solve the problem and convince the public.”