adminWithdrawal after three days of pardons such as match-fixing
Chairman Chung Mong-gyu read an apology and ‘end’
pardon Suggestion and leading party evasion of responsibility
Even with full withdrawal, criticism was voiced on the spot
It was all about reading an apology. No one took responsibility, and there was not even an explanation to make everyone understand. The Korea Football Association (KFA) and President Jeong Mong-gyu (61), who were scolded for trying to exonerate match-fixing offenders, even took a back seat to the tongue.
On the 31st of last month, KFA held a temporary board of directors meeting at the Soccer Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and decided to completely withdraw its decision to pardon 100 soccer players. It has been three days since the surprise amnesty was announced through the board of directors held ahead of the A match with Uruguay. The temporary board of directors concluded the withdrawal in 40 minutes. It was a disprove that it was an absurd issue in the first place, so that there was no need for intense discussion.
Previously, the KFA unexpectedly announced that it would pardon 100 former and incumbent players, coaches, and referees who had been disciplined for various misconduct. The reason for the pardon was the 10th World Cup in a row, self-congratulations on reaching the round of 16 in the Qatar World Cup, harmony in the soccer world and a new start. 안전놀이터
Nearly half of the 100, 48, were match-fixing masters in professional soccer who shook the foundation of Korean soccer in 2011. The KFA is now trying to exonerate most of those who drove Korean football to the brink and inflicted indelible scars on K-League fans. The identity of the other 52 and the reason for the disciplinary action were not disclosed.
The fury of the football world boiled over. K-League supporters as well as the Red Devils expressed their critical opinions through statements. There was also a strong public opinion against KFA online. KFA, which tried to enforce the amnesty by kindly producing Q&A content through its website, eventually staged a ‘skid’ to withdraw the board’s decision in three days out of boiling anger.
Chairman Chung Mong-gyu finally lowered his head. After the temporary board meeting, he read the statement himself. Chairman Chung said, “I have been receiving suggestions from front-line footballers since about two years ago, saying, ‘For more than 10 years, they have sufficiently reflected and paid the price, so how about being tolerant now? However, I came to think that it is more important to advance the prevention system and to faithfully enlighten and educate people rather than being tied to a lifelong disciplinary status.”
Chairman Chung Mong-gyu continued, “At a time when Korean soccer is starting anew after the World Cup in Qatar, it is my duty as the head of Korean soccer to give match-fixing participants and those subject to disciplinary action free from the yoke of past mistakes and give them a chance to serve again.” “As a result, the judgment was not thoughtful. I couldn’t fully fathom the tremendous shock and emotional scars that soccer players and fans received due to the match-fixing incident. Along with the stricter moral standards, I couldn’t take into account the heightened expectations of fans who want a fair ground.”
Chairman Chung Mong-gyu left after reading only his statement without receiving any questions from the reporters. At the end of a rare skit that will go down in the history of Korean soccer, only one piece of the entrance statement read by Chairman Chung is left.
Neither Chairman Chung Mong-gyu nor anyone who led the process of promoting and deciding on amnesty for match-fixing offenders promised responsible action. The identity of the 100 people who even tried to pardon by surprise was also veiled. Footballers who demanded clemency from the KFA leadership and executives who were said to have remained silent about pardons despite playing as players at the time of the K-League match-fixing or working in the soccer world at the time, hid behind Chairman Chung and KFA. KFA’s idea was to cover everything up with an apology without any responsibility or explanation, even after making a decision that almost put Korean football in another crisis.
Even after the decision to withdraw the amnesty was made, the fact that the public opinion against the KFA was strong in the K-League stadium means that this situation will never end with an apology. Supporters of each club in the K-League even after the decision to withdraw the amnesty, ‘fans shed tears, pardons belonged to (Jeong) Mong-gyu’, ‘resignation of the person in charge, calls for reform of the livestock cooperative’, ‘if match-fixing death, KFA revisiting cancer that has been turned off’ , and put up anti-banners such as ‘Fans are not dogs and pigs’. The chairman of the supporters of a K-League club said, “It is natural to withdraw the amnesty, and those who decide this must be held accountable.”