100 days without a president and counting: KFA paralysis threatens Korea's Asian Cup campaign
Efforts to install a new chief have been hit by roadblocks, which in turn have limited the association's ability to stabilize the national side with a permanent manager.
Korea Football Association logo is seen in central Seoul on July 1.NEWS1
Korean football remains adrift more than 100 days after Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu stepped down on July 6, as a prolonged leadership vacuum stalls efforts to right a floundering ship.
The association's goal of electing a new football czar by November hit roadblocks, complicating plans to appoint a permanent manager for the men's national team to lead the side from the Asian Cup in January of next year through the FIFA World Cup 2030.
Without one, Korea could head into the continental tournament under Spaniard Robert Moreno, who was originally hired for just six friendlies from September through November.
Efforts to overhaul the KFA's presidential election system have stalled for two months. In August, the K-football Innovation Committee, established under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, recommended that the association expand the electoral college to 20,000 voters. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has also laid the groundwork for the change by revising its charter and regulations governing member federations.
But the reform push hit a wall last month when FIFA launched an investigation into whether the Korean government had improperly interfered in the process.
"FIFA has requested a range of materials concerning the Innovation Committee's deliberations," said a KFA official. “It appears to be investigating whether the recommendations infringe on the KFA's independence or constitute prohibited third-party interference. FIFA has not explicitly opposed the proposals, but the KFA can hardly convene a general assembly to make major decisions in the middle of an investigation."
Former-Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu leaves the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency after a round of questioning on Sept. 3.YONHAP
The turmoil is now set to disrupt Korea's preparations for the 2027 Asian Cup, which kicks off in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 7. The Taeguk Warriors may head into the tournament without a new KFA president, let alone a new manager.
"There's no way we can elect a new president by November," a KFA official said. "Even if we rush, mid-December is the earliest realistic date. We're now aiming to elect a president by the end of the year."
The process takes at least two months, from revising election rules and securing approval from the KFA's general assembly and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee to announcing the election, registering candidates, running campaigns, holding the vote, counting ballots and certifying the result.
Footballer Kim Min-jae, front, and interim manager Robert Moreno are seen during a training session in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Sept. 22.NEWS1
The proposed expansion of the electoral college to a record 20,000 voters — roughly 100 times its current size — would further complicate preparations, from compiling voter rolls to organizing the voting and ballot-counting process.
The prolonged leadership vacuum has left Vice President Lee Yong-soo in charge of the association and Moreno at the helm of the national team, both on an interim basis.
To complicate things further, questions about a change to military service exemptions for Asian Games success and rumors about national team retirement involving three core players — Hwang Hee-chan, Kim Min-jae and Hwang In-beom — have added to the turmoil.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
