KFA head Chung Mong-gyu has history of controversial football calls

Home > Sports > Football

KFA head Chung Mong-gyu has history of controversial football calls

Published: 14 Feb. 2024, 16:52 Updated: 14 Feb. 2024, 17:45

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Korea Football Association Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, center, watches the Korean national team's training at Al Egla Training Facility in Doha, Qata on Feb. 4. [NEWS1]

The head of Korea's domestic football governing body is under fire for allegedly overstepping his authority in making hiring decisions for the national team.

Korean nonprofit Public Welfare Committee on Tuesday filed a complaint with police in Seoul, accusing Korea Football Association (KFA) Chairman Chung Mong-gyu of unilaterally appointing Jurgen Klinsmann, who has faced criticism for his strategy on the pitch, as manager of the Korean national team.

It's far from Chung's first dance with flames. The KFA Chair previously faced backlash for making questionable calls, including pardoning 100 people banned from Korean football for various infractions such as match-fixing — which he later reversed.

According to News1, the nonprofit is accusing Chung of awarding Klinsmann the position on his own, which it claims interfered with proper KFA operations and therefore constitutes interference with business, a crime under Article 314 of Korea’s Criminal Act.

The committee’s complaint comes a week after Klinsmann failed to lead the team to victory at the AFC Asian Cup, where Korea exited after a semifinal loss to Jordan on Feb. 6.

But firing Klinsmann, an option for the KFA, will come at a high cost — allegedly thanks to Chung.

According to the complaint, Chung personally decided the cost of firing Klinsmann early in addition to setting his wage. Klinsmann is paid from KFA funds. The cost of sacking him early is rumored to be around 700 million won ($5.2 million).

While the KFA can avoid the cost of sacking him early if Klinsmann resigns, the manager said after the loss to Jordan on Feb. 6 that he has no intention of doing so.

Since taking the helm in February last year, Klinsmann has faced criticism for his perceived lack of tactical awareness.

During the Asian Cup run, his side failed to dominate any country in the tournament, drawing 3-3 to the much lower-ranked Malaysia in the group stage and only beating Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 through a last-minute equalizer and a penalty shootout, before exiting, goalless, at the hands of Jordan.

Some football fans even held a protest in front the KFA House in central Seoul on Tuesday and demanded Klinsmann be sacked and that Chung resign from the KFA.

Chung has yet to comment on both the complaint and the status of Klinsmann's job.

Chung has been an active figure in the football industry, having held multiple roles including owning K League teams Ulsan Hyundai, now called Ulsan HD, and Jeonbuk Hyundai Dinos, now called Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the 1990s. He was the K League president from 2011 to 2013 and a former Vice President of the AFC.

He has made some questionable calls as a football administrator, however.

As KFA Chairman in 2023, he pardoned 100 people banned or suspended from Korean football for various infractions, including match-fixing. He later reversed that call, but he and the KFA faced backlash from fans.

In addition to KFA Chairman, Chung’s current titles include a seat on the FIFA Council, and, through his connections to Hyundai Motor Group, de-factor owner of K League 2 team Busan IPark.

At Busan IPark, he allowed then-manager Park Sung-wha to helm the Olympic football team in 2007 only about two weeks after he joined the club — a highly controversial move.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]