Gwangju FC Board to Convene on the 6th
Deliberation on CEO Noh's Reappointment Proposal
Expected to Pass Unless Unexpected Developments Arise
Gwangju City Football Association and Others Voice Opposition
Criticism Mounts: "Must Be Held Accountable for Poor Club Management"
On the 2nd, during the 35th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2025 held at Gwangju World Cup Stadium, Gwangju FC midfielder Shin Changmoo, who scored the opening goal in the 33rd minute of the second half against Jeju SK FC, is celebrating. Provided by Gwangju FC
Amid various controversies such as 'poor club management' and 'international sanctions,' Noh Dongil, CEO of Gwangju FC, who has been under pressure to step down, has indicated his intention to seek another term, setting the stage for a direct confrontation with the local football community. Opposition to CEO Noh is already surfacing in various quarters, signaling significant resistance. On the other hand, CEO Noh has made it clear that he will "follow due process."
The board of directors of Gwangju Citizen Professional Football Club Co., Ltd. (hereafter Gwangju FC) is scheduled to hold its 71st meeting at 11 a.m. on the 6th to deliberate on the 'proposal for reappointment' of the current CEO, Noh Dongil.
The Gwangju FC board consists of a total of 12 members, including the chairman. If a majority-at least seven members-vote in favor, the proposal for CEO Noh's reappointment will pass. Afterward, if Kang Gijung, the Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City and de facto club owner, approves the agenda, CEO Noh's reappointment will be finalized.
Football insiders believe that, as most of the board is filled with CEO Noh's close associates, the proposal for his reappointment is likely to pass barring any unexpected developments.
However, some officials from the Gwangju Metropolitan Football Association and members of the Gwangju FC board are strongly opposing CEO Noh's attempt to secure another term. They point out that CEO Noh, who had repeatedly stated he would "take responsibility and make a decisive move" whenever issues such as 'club management difficulties' and 'FIFA sanctions during player recruitment' arose during his tenure, is now completely reversing his stance.
In fact, since CEO Noh first took office in November 2022, Gwangju FC has been plagued by a series of setbacks, including management difficulties.
In 2023, during the recruitment of player Asani, it was revealed that Gwangju FC failed to pay a solidarity contribution of 4.16 million won. As a result, in September, FIFA imposed a ban on player registration for the following year and a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (approximately 17.5 million won).
In June, the club was also hit with a fine of 10 million won and a one-year ban on player recruitment (with a three-year probation period) by the Korea Professional Football League for violating financial soundness regulations due to management difficulties. Gwangju FC recorded net losses of 1.41 billion won in 2023 and 2.3 billion won in 2024, effectively falling into a state of capital impairment.
Additionally, in August, the appointment of Lee Hyun, a former deputy mayor of Gwangju Nam-gu with no football background, as head of the management division-which had been vacant for about six months-drew criticism as a political appointment.
As a result, not only Gwangju FC fans but also the Gwangju City Football Association and internal club officials have formed a consensus calling for CEO Noh's resignation. However, CEO Noh has repeatedly stated that he would "step down if he fails to deliver results," thereby attempting to quell the situation. This was implicitly interpreted as his intention to simply complete his term.
Now, with CEO Noh effectively formalizing his bid for another term, the local football community faces the risk of further internal strife.
On the afternoon of the 5th, the local football community, including the Gwangju City Football Association, issued an emergency statement clearly expressing their opposition to CEO Noh's reappointment.
They declared, "We strongly oppose the reappointment of CEO Noh Dongil, who oversees the management of Gwangju FC," and emphasized, "He must be held accountable for the severe financial deterioration and administrative failures that occurred during his previous term."
They added, "CEO Noh recorded a net loss of about 2.3 billion won last year, failing to achieve the financial soundness goal for two consecutive years, which resulted in league sanctions. In 2023, due to the unpaid solidarity contribution during the recruitment of player Asani, Gwangju FC faced an unprecedented situation of being banned from player registration by FIFA."
They further pointed out, "The root cause of this situation ultimately lies in inadequate work handover and poor administrative management systems. It stems from the mismanagement of the top executive responsible for the club's overall administrative system."
They also stressed, "In this year's budget plan, the target amount for advertising sponsorships, the most important source of revenue, has dropped sharply to 1.3 billion won (based on the 2025 budget plan) from 8 billion won in last year's budget. This season, even the average attendance has plummeted, demonstrating the utter failure of the CEO's strategy to expand profit-generating businesses and secure financial self-sufficiency."
They further criticized, "Despite spending large sums on marketing consulting from major companies, no improvement has been shown, revealing a lack of future marketing capabilities and vision. Moreover, the CEO has engaged in dysfunctional management by appointing non-experts unrelated to football as directors and consistently causing discord with fans, the media, and the city council."
In response, Noh Dongil, CEO of Gwangju FC, stated, "This decision to seek another term is not just my own, but reflects the collective opinions of many, including club staff and Head Coach Lee Jeonghyo. While there have been many difficulties in operating Gwangju FC, the organization is now stabilizing, especially with the newly appointed head of management, and the club has maintained its place in the K League for four years, which I see as a clear achievement. The club owner, Mayor Kang Gijung, will make an appropriate decision."
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