KFA chairman wants ‘passionate’ successor

The outgoing head of Korean football said yesterday he would like to see “a young and passionate” person take over the reins next year.

At a press conference, Cho Chung-yun, the chairman of the Korea Football Association (KFA), said he will stick to his earlier decision not to run for a second term.

In a statement released on Oct. 17, Cho said he will step down from his post at the end of his tenure in January next year.

“I will not reverse that decision,” Cho said. “I joined the KFA as an executive director in 1998, and the ensuing years as a vice chairman and the chairman have been a very meaningful time for me personally.”

Cho, 66, the first former player to serve as the KFA head, said he would like to see a successor dedicated to improving Korean football.

“I hope a person who is serious about football and who isn’t simply trying to fulfill his personal greed will be elected,” he said. “I’d like to see someone young and passionate with original ideas so that we could usher in a new, hopeful era for Korean football.”

Cho found himself in hot water over the KFA’s abrupt dismissal of Cho Kwang-rae as the national team head coach last December.

Yonhap