However, no answers to questions raised in the soccer community
Voices calling for procedural verification expected to continue
Interim report on Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism audit scheduled for the 2nd
Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment process of the South Korean national football team coach, the Korea Football Association (KFA) has released the minutes of the National Team Strengthening Committee meeting.
On the 1st, the Football Association disclosed the '2024 10th KFA Strengthening Committee Meeting Minutes.' The 10th meeting minutes released by the KFA is a 15-page PDF file detailing the process of selecting 5 candidates out of 17 coaching candidates.
The meeting held on June 21 was attended by Jeong Haeseong, then chairman of the Strengthening Committee, and committee members Lee Youngjin, Yoon Deokyeo, Yoon Jeonghwan (attended remotely), Park Juho, Lee Miyeon, Go Jeongun, Song Myeongwon, Jeon Gyeongjun, and Lee Sanggi. Member Park Seongbae was absent due to personal reasons and had expressed his intention to resign.
The minutes show that the committee agreed to narrow down the 17 candidates to 5 at this meeting and then delegate the subsequent process to Chairman Jeong. No separate ranking was assigned to these 5 candidates. However, it was revealed that Coach Hong Myungbo, along with one other foreign coach, received the most recommendations.
Afterward, Chairman Jeong, who was delegated the authority, narrowed the 5 candidates down to 3, first conducting video interviews with 2 foreign candidates. The KFA explained that Hong was designated as the top priority for final negotiations, with the two foreign coaches ranked second and third respectively. Chairman Jeong reported this to Chung Monggyu, president of the KFA, and resigned at the end of June for personal reasons.
The KFA emphasized, "Subsequently, Technical Director Lee Imsaeng took over the follow-up appointment tasks, conducted face-to-face negotiation interviews with the final 3 candidates, and decided on Coach Hong, who was the top priority, recommending him to the board. The appointment procedure was followed by announcing Hong’s nomination and obtaining the board’s written resolution for the final appointment." They added, "Coach Hong, like other candidates, prepared and analyzed match videos during the 9th committee meeting, and during the committee period, Chairman Jeong Haeseong personally attended the Ulsan HD match for re-verification in advance."
Coach Hong Myung-bo answering as a witness during the current issues inquiry of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 24th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 30th, during the press conference announcing the October A-match squad, when asked about the controversy over the coach appointment, Coach Hong said, "I am also frustrated. I wanted to say many things at the National Assembly (during the September 24 inquiry), but ultimately could not. Personally, there are parts I feel unfair about." He continued, "When I went to the National Assembly, there were some differences from what I had heard, such as whether all members of the Strengthening Committee agreed. I hope the association discloses everything publicly." The minutes were released just one day after this statement. Coach Hong stated, "When I asked if the proper procedures were followed during the appointment process, they said yes. When I asked what kind of evaluation I received, they said it was the highest score. So, I accepted the coaching position."
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is conducting an audit related to this issue and plans to announce interim results on the 2nd.
However, within the football community, questions have been raised about the process by which the Technical Director was delegated full authority. It is expected that there will be calls to disclose the 11th meeting and subsequent processes, as well as the procedures through which the Technical Director was granted full authority and decided on Coach Hong’s appointment.
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