The Korea Football Association (KFA), which faced a strong headwind after pardoning 100 soccer players who were being disciplined for match-fixing, withdrew its decision to pardon.
On the 31st, the Korea Football Association held a temporary board of directors meeting at the Seoul Jongno-gu Soccer Hall and announced that the disciplinary pardon decided by the board of directors on the 28th was completely withdrawn as a result of reexamination.
Chung Mong-gyu, chairman of the Korea Football Association, 바카라 said in a statement by the board of directors that day, “There was a lot of concern and criticism about the disciplinary pardon for soccer players decided by our board of directors on the 28th.”
Pardon ‘match fixing’ for advancing to the World Cup round of 16? Prior to the boiling public opinion,
the Football Association held a board meeting on the 28th and decided to pardon 100 footballers, including former and current players, leaders, and referees, who are being disciplined for various misconduct.
Among the 50 players who were expelled for participating in match-fixing in professional football in 2011, 48 players were included in the pardon, excluding two players who were judged to be particularly guilty. It is the first time in 14 years since 2009 that the Football Association has pardoned a person subject to disciplinary action.
The Football Association said, “We have reached the 10th FIFA World Cup in a row and advanced to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.” The purpose is to give another chance to soccer players who are judged to have self-restraint and fully reflect on themselves.”
However, in the soccer world, there was a backlash that it was unacceptable to pardon the main culprits of match-fixing in the name of advancing to the World Cup round of 16. In addition, when the Football Association announced an amnesty just an hour before the A-match evaluation match with Uruguay at the time, there was criticism that it was a’trick’ to divert public attention.
The Professional Football Federation, which operates the professional football K-League, protested, saying, “We will maintain the permanent expulsion of match-fixing participants according to the K-League’s own rules.”
Red Devils “A match/league boycott”… The Professional Football Federation also ‘half term’
In addition, the national team’s official supporters ‘Red Devils’ also issued a statement and said, “The match fixing is the worst case that shook the foundation of Korean football. We strongly oppose the Football Association’s amnesty plan and demand a complete withdrawal. In the future, we will take action by mobilizing all measures, such as boycotting A-matches, boycotting league matches in conjunction with K-League club supporters, and protest rallies.”
Representative Ha Tae-gyeong said on Facebook, “It is a very bad precedent.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the pardon for disciplinary personnel is not even in the regulations of the Korea Sports Council, a higher-level organization. According to the rules of the Sports Association, only a request for relief, not a pardon, is possible, and even this can be applied only after a non-prosecution decision by the investigative agency or a judgment of innocence by the court.
The Football Association, which was under pressure from all directions of public opinion due to an amnesty not in the rules, raised the’white flag’ in three days through a reexamination on this day.
Chairman Chung Mong-kyu said in a statement released after the board meeting that day, “At the time when Korean football is starting anew after the World Cup in Qatar, those subject to disciplinary action, including those involved in match-fixing, are freed from the yoke of past mistakes and given a chance to serve Korean football once again. I also thought it was a duty that I could do as the head of Korean football.”
“But as a result, the judgment was not thoughtful. I couldn’t fully understand the tremendous shock and emotional wounds that footballers and fans suffered due to the match-fixing incident,” he said. I couldn’t even take into account the heightened expectations of the fans.”
“I am very sorry for my shortcomings in this decision process,” he said.