The Korea Football Association distributed a press release on the 28th of last month at 7:00 pm, an hour before the Korea-Uruguay evaluation match, with the content that “100 soccer players will be pardoned.”
The problem was the subject of pardon. In 2011, 48 out of 50 players who were expelled for participating in match-fixing in professional football were included in the 100 people subject to pardon. The Korea Football Association clearly stated this in the press release.
The Korea Football Association said, “We congratulated ourselves on advancing to the World Cup 10 times in a row and advancing to the round of 16 in the World Cup in Qatar achieved last year, and reflected the opinions of the field who proposed an amnesty for harmony and a new start in the soccer world. There is also the purpose of giving another chance to soccer players who are judged to have done well.”
“For those who have been expelled to prevent voluntary pardon바카라, 7 years from the date of disciplinary effect, 5 years from the date of disciplinary effect in the case of indefinite suspension of qualifications or suspension from participation indefinitely, period of disciplinary action for those who have been suspended from qualification or participation for a limited period of time “Those who have passed more than half of the past were considered for pardon review. People involved in sexual violence or sexual harassment were excluded, and even in the case of match-fixing, those with a high degree of misogyny were excluded from the pardon.” In addition, he explained, “We are closely watching to ensure that this pardon is not misunderstood as a change in the association’s basic position on match-fixing. We plan to thoroughly prevent and supervise the incident in all domestic games so that it does not recur.”
But the headwind blew. No one agreed with the purpose of the Korea Football Association. The media as well as former and current soccer players all wondered, “I don’t know why I made this choice.” There is also a soccer player who uttered a bitter voice towards the board of directors, which includes soccer seniors who were close as players. Football fans also agreed that “the amnesty is wrong.”
Then, the Korea Football Association held a board meeting again on the 31st of last month and withdrew the pardon. But the headwinds did not subside. Some fans protested against the amnesty at the K-League site and in front of the Korea Football Association.
Eventually, the members of the board of directors, Vice Chairman Lee Young-pyo, Vice Chairman Lee Dong-guk, and Social Contribution Chairman Cho Won-hee announced their intention to resign and took off their clothes on the night of the 3rd. And on the 4th, the board of directors, excluding Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, decided to resign en masse.
Korean football was praised for advancing to the 10th consecutive World Cup last year and the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup. The contributions of the Korea Football Association, which supported former coach Paulo Bento and the national team from seniority to new appointment, were also highlighted. The success of the past four years has led to the appointment of Jurgen Klinsmann as coach, raising expectations for the 2024 Asian Cup and the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.
But maybe it was because I was too drunk on the glory of the past? As a result of this amnesty, criticism is pouring in while the achievements of the past four years are forgotten. In the soccer world, it is still condemned as ‘scoring an own goal’.
The headwinds do not end with a general resignation. With the disappearance of the board of directors, there was an emergency in the administration. It is the Korea Football Association that has planned development from the youth system to leader education without resting on its laurels for the past four years.
The Korea Football Association said, “The decision was made to resign the members of the board of directors, but we plan to come up with measures as soon as possible to prevent an administrative vacuum from occurring.”