The Korea Football Association (KFA) must stop the skit at least now.
On the 28th at 6:00 pm, KFA distributed a press release ahead of the kick-off against Uruguay in the second leg of the March A-match of the ‘Hana Bank Invitational National Football Team Friendly Match’. It was a decision to pardon 100 disciplinary soccer players according to the decision of the board of directors. The targets were former and current players, coaches, referees, and group executives who were being disciplined for committing various misconduct. In 2011, 48 match-fixing expulsions that shook the foundation of professional football were also included.
The first pardon in 14 years. However, an unconvincing reason was presented. KFA said, “We congratulated ourselves on advancing to the 10th consecutive World Cup last year and advancing to the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, and reflected the opinions of the frontlines 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 become successful,” he said, introducing the background of the pardon.
The amnesty, which was achieved by ‘passing the snatch’, caused a backlash. Criticism poured in from the online community. Even the Taegeuk Warriors, who met the Red Devils for the first time after reaching the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, were pushed to the back. The same goes for Taegeuknangja, who will play a warm-up match against Zambia for the 2023 Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup. ‘Festivals’ where athletes were the main characters were turned into ‘skits’ in which KFA became the main characters.
In the end, it started to evolve with ‘QnA explanation’. However, the controversy reached its peak. The KFA has the purpose of “granting opportunities for recovery to those subject to discipline who have self-sufficient self-reflection after being disciplined for a long time and have sufficiently reflected on it”, “It is virtually difficult for (subjects of pardon) to return as players and leaders in the professional football field. However, Please understand the decision to give them another chance to contribute to the development of Korean football.” The disclosure of the person to be pardoned was avoided for reasons of the Personal Information Protection Act, and the thirst for pardon was not quenched as to what the specific opinion of the site that proposed the pardon was. 먹튀검증
In the end, KFA decided to hold a ‘temporary board meeting’ at 4:00 pm on Friday the 31st to review the disciplinary pardon. It is expected that the pardon will be reduced or completely withdrawn. From passing the snatch to coming to the temporary board of directors, KFA has lost its own honor. It’s time to put an end to the skit and set things right again. Attention is paid to tonight’s results.
