There is no windy day. There is no history, no authority, no philosophy, no principles. The vicious cycle of ‘soldiering response’ is only repeated. Today is the Korea Football Association (KFA).
Only four months ago, the KFA caused its own anger with the controversy over the ‘surprise amnesty’. In the end, the amnesty was withdrawn, and all the board members resigned, except for Chung Mong-gyu, the head of the Football Association. As a reform plan, the executive position held by soccer players was abolished and a full-time vice-president system was introduced. Kim Jung-bae, former second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was appointed vice chairman. The board of directors was also newly formed. However, the current KFA still has not changed. Only ‘backward administration’ fluctuates. Jurgen Klinsmann’s ‘residence in Korea’, coach of the national team A, was a ‘promise’ that could not be kept in the first place. Michael Müller, chairman of the National Power Enhancement Committee, who is supposed to direct traffic in practice, has no sense of existence. It’s rather fortunate if you don’t answer ‘Dongmunseo’.
The Hangzhou Asian Games national team was on the chopping block by selecting an unqualified player for drunk driving as the final entry. A fine of more than 5 million won is sentenced for acts related to drunk driving, and it is specified in the operating regulations that players who have not passed three years since the sentence was finalized cannot become national representatives. However, this player has already been selected for the national team by age group, including the U-22 (under 22 years old) during this period. It is a one-dimensional problem that can be easily filtered out with a little care, whether it is the National Power Enhancement Committee or the support staff, but it is neglected. If the selection of a substitute fails, a power vacuum is inevitable.
Recently, another strong ‘typhoon’ blew with the FA Cup. The FA Cup is the biggest competition hosted by the KFA. It is a stage that covers both pros and amateurs and decides the king of Korean football in name and reality. So, one Asian Champions League (ACL) ticket goes back to the winning team.토토사이트
It was 2016, 7 years ago. KFA revived the home-and-away format of the final, which was held only once in 2007. At the time, when the single game match was changed to the first and second games, the K-League teams protested fiercely. But the 2016 FA Cup final turned the tide again. For the first time in history, the ‘Super Match Final’ between FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung caused a ‘box-office storm’. KFA screamed happily and decided to stick with Home and Away.
However, the fans’ voices are vibrating that ‘the authority fell to the ground overnight’. Unexpected variables such as the Jamboree and the typhoon prevented the semi-finals, but the promised framework must not be shaken. Any organization has a ‘preparation day’ in case of an unexpected situation. KFA chose the easiest path. Instead of home and away, the semifinals were played on the day of the first leg of the final, and the final was changed to a one-off match on the day of the second leg. If you can’t even keep the rules well, in this case, you forcefully push the rules.
The decision-making process also hurts. To get to the top, the ground is drenched with sweat all year round. It should be respected. Moreover, only 4 teams survived this year’s FA Cup. Teams have different interests. Even if changes are made, agreement, not consultation, must precede. If an agreement cannot be reached, maintaining the original draft is the last bastion to maintain authority. However, it was a luxury for the teams to expect this from the ‘super power’ KFA.
Chairman Chung, who succeeded in his third term in 2021, runs until January 2025. About 17 months left. I want to ask KFA. How long will you keep fooling around?