Sports Briefs

Basketball

Choi Joon-young leads win over Jeonju Egis

‘Super rookie’ Choi Joon-young of the Seoul SK Knights led the team to win the game against Jeonju KCC Egis.

The SK Knights won 79-70 against the Jeonju KCC Egis. Choi led the team as he scored 15 points, three assists with four rebounds.

After the Knights led the first quarter 19-9, Egis’ foreign duo, Andre Emmet Joe Ira Clark scored 18 points to tie the game 38-38 after the second quarter. Despite the Egis’ strong comeback, Knights took back the lead 59-48 during the third quarter. As the Knights’ Kim Sun-hyung scored 20 points and James Singleton scored 12 points, they won nine points ahead of Egis.

Choi was picked second during the 2016-2017 rookie draft after Lee Jong-hyun of the Ulsan Mobis. Choi is a strong rookie of the year award nominee since Lee did not play in more than 27 games during the regular season which is a requirement to be nominated as the rookie of the year. Choi has been average 8.8 points, 8 rebounds per game, which is well ahead of Kang Sang-Jae of the Incheon ET Land Elephant.

Football

GM of Jeonbuk Hyundai resigns over AFC ban

The general manager of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors has tendered his resignation over the club’s ban from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, a source close to the matter told Yonhap News Agency Saturday.

The source said Lee Chul-geun will step down from his post over the club’s disqualification from the AFC Champions League (ACL) due to a bribery scandal. Jeonbuk won the 2016 ACL.

The Entry Control Body, a judicial body independent of the AFC, last month barred Jeonbuk from the 2017 ACL for their “indirect involvement in activities aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of matches,” following the club’s bribe scandal.

Last September, one of Jeonbuk’s scouts was convicted of bribing referees in 2013. They were docked nine points by the K League’s disciplinary committee - which cost them a chance to win their third straight domestic league title - and were fined 100 million won ($85,680).

Jeonbuk then challenged the ECB’s decision and took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, the world’s top sports tribunal on Friday rejected Jeonbuk’s appeal.

Jeonbuk are the defending champions of Asia’s top club competition.

They beat Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in November to claim their first ACL title in 10 years and earned their spot in the 2017 ACL by finishing second in the K League Classic.

“Lee already thought about resignation before the CAS ruling,” the source said. “He took his responsibility for the bribery scandal and the club’s ban from the AFC Champions League.”

Lee first joined the club in 2003 as secretary-general and was promoted to general manager two years later. Lee and head coach Choi Kang-hee have produced four domestic league titles and two ACL crowns.

Yonhap