Japanese media have shed light on the "political intervention controversy" surrounding Korean soccer.먹튀검증
Japanese media 'Sankei Shimbun' reported on the 3rd (local time) that "FIFA delivered a message of protest over the controversy over political intervention over the appointment of Hong Myung-bo (55) as the coach of the South Korean national team."
The media said, "The Korea Football Association (KFA) dismissed former coach Jurgen Klinsmann in February for poor performance. It was not easy to find a replacement, and it was announced that it would appoint Asian legend Hong from the J-League in July."
"However, suspicions were raised that the process lost its procedural legitimacy, and Hong was reduced to an object of criticism. It was revealed that some executives who were not members of the KFA's power reinforcement committee had a closed-door negotiation with Hong at a bakery. Even Park Ji-sung (adviser to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC) joined the criticism," he said. "The Korean National Assembly held a questionnaire on pending issues with KFA Chairman Chung Mong-gyu and Hong at the urging of the public. The ruling party and the opposition party staged a rare scene in which they gathered their opinions amid intensifying confrontation due to external reasons."
However, the media said, "On the other hand, FIFA says that if the KFA is pressured by the South Korean government, it is a violation of political neutrality." The official letter sent to the KFA mentions the possibility of disciplinary action, which could affect the results of the ongoing third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and China," claiming that the probability of disciplinary action is by no means low.
The KFA strongly protested on the 4th, issuing a statement regarding the interim announcement of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's specific audit results, which pointed out that there was a problem with the process of appointing former coach Jurgen Klinsmann along with Hong.
Choi Hyun-joon, inspector general of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told a briefing at the annex of the Seoul government building in central Seoul on Tuesday, "Procedural defects were found in the process of appointing Hong, but it is hard to judge that the contract is invalid. The Korea Football Association is an organization that respects independence. We hope that the KFA will be able to make its own judgment by considering common sense and public opinion."
In response, the KFA countered, "The way we meet with foreign directors and Hong (in the case of the negotiation process) may be different, and this cannot be called a preferential treatment," adding, "It was a serious misunderstanding that Chairman Chung neutralized the authority of the Power Reinforcement Committee and made unfair intervention." Article 26 of the KFA's articles of association stipulates that the association's work is handled by the president of the association, and the Power Reinforcement Committee is an advisory body, not a voting body that makes decisions."
Meanwhile, the KFA has been reticent about the possibility of FIFA's disciplinary action. FIFA stipulates that associations of member countries should not be interfered with by third parties (Article 13 of the Articles of Incorporation) and that they should be independent of political interference (Article 14), and countries such as Nigeria, Kuwait, and Pakistan have been included in the list of disciplinary cases.