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A wake-up call to the football association

Published: 03 Oct. 2024, 20:04

The Korea Football Association (KFA), which has been sustained largely on over $140 million of government funding a year, has repeatedly broken internal rules on hiring managers for the national football team, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism.

The ministry’s recent audit of the football association confirmed that the KFA’s Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng had recommended Hong Myung-bo in July as the national team manager through an unclear and unfair interview process on shortlisted candidates even though he wasn’t authorized to make such a recommendation. The ministry also pointed out that the appointment of Hong’s predecessor, Jurgen Klinsmann, was equally flawed and biased after the naming authority fell entirely on National Team Committee Head Michael Muller even before the committee was inaugurated.

In particular, KFA Chairman Chung Mong-gyu interviewed Klinsmann and another candidates online although he didn’t have a say in the appointment. Because there were no records of the interview, it is unknown how the process went and if Chung’s opinion swayed the final decision. The board also skipped the required voting process and expressed their view simply by marking an approval/disapproval section.

Despite the findings, the ministry won’t be pressing remedial or disciplinary actions. The national team will play against Jordan on Oct. 10 and Iraq on Oct. 15 in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup under Hong’s helm. Despite the complaints over the questionable recruitment of Hong, the government concluded that it was too risky to find a substitution for the manager.

KFA Chair Chung, who was grilled over Hong’s appointment during a legislative hearing last month, has suffered another major blow to his leadership due to the latest audit results. FIFA bans government and political interference in its member countries’ national team organizations. Hong could face mounting pressure to resign after President Yoon Suk Yeol demanded the Sports Ministry to find solutions to fix mismanagement in the KFA.

Although the football association relies on hefty government funding, it cannot be expected to run flawlessly. It has been customary to keep the recruiting process for managers private, as their appointment can affect the national team’s play. But Korean football fans have raised their expectations due to star players like Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in performing well in Europe.

Many cannot understand the dismal results of the national football team despite it having world-class players. Koreans today are also sensitive about fairness and transparency. The KFA must take self-correcting actions on its slack administration style through sober self-reflection.