Seoul: The national football federation in South Korea is facing scrutiny following revelations from a past government audit report indicating that the Korea Football Association (KFA) allegedly provided sexual entertainment to foreign referees before and after international matches held between 2011 and 2012.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the audit report, which was prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016, disclosed that the KFA used corporate credit cards to fund sexual entertainment for visiting referees at massage parlors and adult establishments in Seoul and other cities hosting international matches during that period. The matches in question included qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The report detailed that about a dozen referees and match coordinators from countries such as Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Bahrain, and Uzbekistan received these favors from the KFA. During these seven matches, South Korea maintained an undefeated record with five wins and two draws.
Despite the findings, establishing a direct link between the KFA's actions and the match results may be challenging, as South Korea was favored in all three matches, with no victories considered surprising. Nevertheless, the revelations add to the criticism faced by the KFA.
Potential sanctions from FIFA appear unlikely, given the organization's Code of Ethics. Breaches cannot be prosecuted after five years, with a ten-year limit for bribery and corruption cases. However, offenses related to sexual abuse, harassment, and exploitation have no limitation period, though paying for sexual entertainment may not fit these categories.
Cho Chung-yun, the KFA president at the time, was subject to further investigation by police following the ministry's audit announcement in December 2016. The investigation focused on charges of misappropriating KFA funds, with allegations of improper corporate card use at adult establishments by both former and current KFA employees.
The ministry explained that it initially chose not to disclose further details due to difficulties in verifying all facts. Employees accused of improper conduct were neither convicted nor disciplined by the KFA.
JTBC first reported the case, revealing that international referees specifically requested services at adult establishments, which was allegedly a common practice at the time. A former KFA executive suggested that such practices were even more prevalent in other countries.
In response, a current KFA official stated that verifying corporate card use from that period was challenging but highlighted the implementation of stringent internal guidelines since then.
The report emerged shortly after police raided the KFA headquarters in Cheonan and the KFA House in Seoul, part of an investigation into the KFA's 2024 appointment of ex-men's national team head coach Hong Myung-bo. Authorities seized documents to assess any potential improper meddling by KFA leaders during the coaching hiring process.
Both Hong and former KFA chief Chung Mong-gyu resigned after South Korea's early World Cup exit this year. They were also questioned during a parliamentary session in July, focusing on operational criticisms within the KFA and the reasons behind the national team's early tournament departure.