Choi Hyun-joon, inspector general of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announces audit result of the Korea Football Association at the Seoul Government Complex, Tuesday. Yonhap
Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), could face suspension after the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the findings of a special audit on the association Tuesday, calling for disciplinary action against him.
"We conducted an audit from July 29 on the KFA's appointment of coaches Jurgen Klinsmann and Hong Myung-bo, the sudden amnesty and withdrawal for corrupt football personnel and the National Football Center project. The final audit results confirmed 27 cases of illegal and improper business practices, for which we have demanded disciplinary action, correction and caution and notified them to establish reasonable improvement measures," Choi Hyun-joon, inspector general of the sports ministry, said in a briefing in Seoul.
He continued, "We have demanded severe disciplinary action or at least suspension for President Chung Mong-gyu and other related officials, holding them responsible for the improper national team coach appointment process and poor organizational management. Regarding Hong Myung-bo's appointment, we notified the KFA to devise a plan to rectify the procedural flaws, including a possible reappointment of the national team coach from scratch."
The KFA has been criticized for not following proper procedures in selecting Hong as the new manager of the men's national football team in July, after firing Klinsmann in February and evaluating some 100 candidates over five months.
Regarding that, the ministry said the KFA president, who does not have the authority to recommend managers, did not follow the procedures that would have required candidates to be interviewed and appointed by the board of directors.
“According to the KFA regulations, the coach should be recommended by the National Team Strengthening Committee and appointed by the board of directors. However, when appointing Klinsmann, the KFA requested all authority be delegated to the committee chairman in the first meeting and merely notified the appointment result in the second meeting, effectively neutralizing the committee. Moreover, the president, who lacks authority in recommendation, conducted interviews and omitted the proper appointment procedure,” the ministry said.
“For Hong Myung-bo's appointment, the technical director, who lacks authority under its regulations, conducted interviews unfairly and opaquely under the president's orders. Hong was preannounced as the manager before formally requesting the board's approval.”
Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, answers questions during a National Assembly audit, Oct. 24. Yonhap
The sports ministry concluded that the appointment process for all national team coaches, not just the men's national team, was inappropriate, adding that out of 43 coaches appointed for 10 national teams, 42 did not go through the proper appointment process.
"Examining the current mandatory certification status for national team coaches, we found that four national team physical coaches were appointed without the mandatory Asian Football Confederation Fitness Level 1 certification, violating the minimum qualification system in the coaching education regulations,” the ministry said.
Regarding the issues with the National Football Center construction project in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, the ministry said it found that the KFA falsely applied for a government subsidy for the construction of a mini-stadium inside the football center and signed a contract to purchase materials despite the impossibility of completing the construction within the project period.
"We plan to demand disciplinary action against those responsible and the cancellation and recovery of the grant for the false subsidy application and the interest loss caused by the advance payment for government-supplied materials,” the ministry said.
The ministry added the audit found no issues that contradict the regulations of the international soccer governing body FIFA, which emphasizes the autonomy and independence of each football association.
“The ministry also respects the FIFA statutes and respects the independence and autonomy of the KFA,” the inspector general said. "Regarding the appointment of the national coach, many people expressed a lot of disappointment with the unfair and opaque decision-making process. We do not believe that this is a violation of FIFA policy.”