Korea Football Association Confirms NFC Relocation to Cheonan Through 2019 National Contest
Park Sangdon, the mayor of Cheonan, sharply criticized the pledges of candidates running for the president of the Korea Football Association who have neglected Cheonan City.
According to Cheonan City on the 4th, the Korea Football Association has been pursuing the construction of the 2nd National Football Center (NFC) since 2019, as the free lease period for the existing Paju Korea National Football Center expired in January this year. Twenty-four local governments competed in the bid, and Cheonan City was ultimately selected.
Accordingly, Cheonan NFC is being established at 120 Gasan-ri, Ipjang-myeon, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, with a total project cost of 388.5 billion KRW, aiming for completion next year. Most of the sports facilities such as artificial turf football fields and futsal fields, which the city is responsible for, have already been constructed, while the accommodation building and a 3,500-seat mini stadium, overseen by the association, have been under development since the beginning of this year.
However, Cheonan City has expressed strong discontent as candidates who have declared their intention to run for the next president of the Korea Football Association are making campaign pledges that disregard Cheonan NFC.
Heo Jungmoo, former national team coach, officially announced his candidacy for the association presidency and stated that both Paju NFC and Cheonan NFC should be operated as a two-track system. Shin Moonsun, football commentator, pledged to reconsider the relocation of the association's office to the Cheonan Football Association.
In response, Mayor Park held an emergency briefing that day and said, "The relocation of the NFC to Cheonan was confirmed through a nationwide competition, and it has been progressing smoothly for over four years, yet the candidates are ignoring this and presenting pledges that suit their own interests. Are Chungcheongnam-do Province and Cheonan City, which have invested a massive 233.5 billion KRW, just empty shells?" he pointed out.
He continued, "Ignoring the matters publicly announced by the city and the Korea Football Association before the people and merely discussing alternatives as a vote-getting strategy can only be seen as a light disregard for the residents of Chungcheongnam-do and Cheonan. Belated objections will not be valid, and if the agreement is violated, we will consider claiming damages," he emphasized.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
