Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, attended the board meeting. Provided by the Korea Football Association
Reporter Lee Won-hong, Contents Planning Division
The aftermath of the Korea Football Association’s surprise pardon continues.
On the 28th of last month, the association announced an amnesty for 100 soccer players who had been disciplined for various reasons, but when it received intensive criticism from public opinion, it held an emergency board meeting three days later and withdrew it. Vice Chairman Lee Dong-guk and Lee Young-pyo, a former star player, resigned, and 28 directors resigned en masse, suffering aftereffects.
As a reason for this amnesty, the association announced that it would congratulate itself on advancing to the finals of the 10th consecutive World Cup and advancing to the round of 16 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and proceed with the amnesty for harmony and a new start in the football world. However, as it became known that among those subject to the amnesty, many participants in the 2011 K-League match-fixing that shook the domestic soccer world were included, it caused a strong backlash.
In sports, match-fixing has more symbolism than simple match-fixing. The sports field where matches are played according to the set rules is also a stage to confirm fair rule enforcement and compliance with them. Among the many values of sports, ‘fair play’ is ranked first because it is a necessary virtue throughout our society and is considered an element that must be observed. This is also related to fairness in front of the law and order that supports our society as a whole. Sports, which are played daily in front of many fans, also serve to confirm that this fairness is checked every moment in our daily life and operates without errors.
Players who attempted match-fixing undermined these foundations of belief. They are not simple rule breakers who receive a yellow card for a tackle during a game. They are rule breakers who tried to make the very existence of rules meaningless by making a lot of fair efforts to faithfully abide by them in vain. In a word, the association was trying to pardon those who shook the root of their faith, and it seemed that fans who were dumbfounded about this stopped it.
The association itself would not have been unaware of the seriousness of match-fixing, but why did the association try to pardon those involved in it?
Of course, it is true that some parts of the soccer world had personal sympathy for those whose lives were cut off due to involvement in match-fixing. Conversations containing regrets about some players who have fallen from their splendid past and faced a bleak reality even for a livelihood were exchanged privately. However, everyone knew that these personal feelings could not be an excuse for a dark attempt at match-fixing that would bring about the destruction of the entire football world. It is common sense that everyone knows that a public judgment should not be undermined by private feelings.
According to the obtained and disclosed by Rep. Ha Tae-gyeong, it is known that in addition to those involved in match-fixing, those involved in financial corruption and violence against player referees were also included in the pardon. Now, the suspicion of the association’s attempt to pardon spreads to whether there were still people who could have breath in the association among the pardon subjects, and whether the association needed to attract them again for some reason.
What I’m really curious about at this point is what logic led to the pardon and what process the board of directors made the decision. To this end, the association needs to disclose the decision-making process transparently, including the disclosure of board minutes.
It is necessary to look at why so many board members have almost kept their mouths shut while making decisions against common sense. If some power and intention that the directors couldn’t help intervened, we need to look at whether there is a way to block it or if there is a way to improve it if most of the directors have played the role of a simple raiser without a sense of criticism.
If the association does not disclose the decision-making process transparently, various speculations and suspicions surrounding the association’s pardon decision will continue to grow. In addition, this situation can further strengthen the criticism that the collective resignation of the directors is nothing more than a tail cut to protect Chung Mong-kyu, the head of the Korea Football Association.
Therefore, we need to disclose all related materials and processes and show a sincere apology and willingness to improve in order to clear the suspicions about this issue and regain the trust of fans. In addition, only through this process can you objectively look into the decision-making system within the association and get an opportunity to improve it.
Reporter Lee Won-hong, Content Planning Division [email protected]