The severe disciplinary actions against the coaches involved in the 'High School Soccer Match-Fixing' scandal, where a 3-goal difference was overturned in just 18 minutes causing controversy, have been finalized. A precedent has been set recognizing match-fixing based solely on circumstantial evidence and testimonies without direct proof, which will influence future similar cases.
Two coaches accused of match-fixing in the 2019 high school soccer tournament withdrew their appeal in the lawsuit against the Korea Football Association seeking to nullify disciplinary decisions. Photo unrelated to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]
According to Asia Economy's report on the 10th, former Jaehyeon High School soccer coach Lee Chan-haeng and former Cheonan Jeil High School soccer coach Park Hee-wan withdrew their appeals against the Korea Football Association’s 7-year suspension disciplinary action in March. After losing in the second trial, they appealed to the Supreme Court, but by withdrawing the appeal, the 7-year suspension for match-fixing was confirmed.
In August 15, 2019, during the third group stage match of the 55th Autumn Korean High School Soccer Federation Tournament held in Hapcheon, Gyeongnam, the two coaches were disciplined by the association for a suspicious match-fixing incident. At that time, Seo Jaehyeon High School, led by Coach Lee, was trailing 3-0 against Coach Park’s Cheonan Jeil High School until the early second half, but scored four goals between the 9th and 26th minutes of the second half to achieve a comeback victory. Among football association officials and parents, suspicions arose that Cheonan Jeil High School deliberately lost to Jaehyeon High School. The fact that both coaches were alumni of Dankook University further fueled suspicions of match-fixing. The football association conducted an investigation and imposed a 7-year suspension on the two coaches, who then filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the disciplinary actions.
The first trial invalidated the disciplinary actions, stating "there is insufficient evidence to prove match-fixing," but the Seoul High Court’s 34-2 Civil Division, which handled the second trial, overturned the ruling. The second trial decision attracted attention in the legal community. Typically, match-fixing cases involve prior monetary transactions among conspirators, but the second trial court recognized match-fixing and deemed the disciplinary action appropriate based solely on suspicious circumstances without direct evidence such as monetary transactions.
The second trial court stated, "All observers of the match, including the match supervisor, referees, coaches, parents, and other football officials, naturally raised suspicions of match-fixing," considering this objective. The court also noted, "It was unusual that Cheonan Jeil High School replaced seven starting players with inexperienced first-year players despite having much time left in the match." Attention was also drawn to the fact that, except for the 18 minutes during which the comeback occurred, Cheonan Jeil defenders actively marked Jaehyeon High School attackers. The court judged that during the comeback period, the defense appeared intentionally lax. Coach Park claimed it was "to conserve energy for the next match," but the court found this explanation "unconvincing." The court also took into account that the football association is not an investigative agency and thus has difficulty obtaining direct evidence.
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