FIFA to visit KFA to review football reform committee
FIFA officials will visit the Korea Football Association (KFA) in September amid concerns over government involvement in reform efforts.
Park Ji-sung, co-chair of the K-Football Innovation Committee, speaks to reporters after a committee meeting on Aug. 11.
NEWS1
FIFA will visit the Korea Football Association (KFA) in September to review activities of the government-led K-Football Innovation Committee, following an earlier request for information on the committee's work.
“A FIFA official is scheduled to visit the association next month to review the activities of the innovation committee and other matters,” a KFA spokesperson said Saturday.
Three FIFA officials, including the director of its Member Associations Division, are expected to visit the KFA for three days and two nights during the second week of September.
FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) jointly sent an official letter to the KFA on Aug. 21 requesting information on what the K-Football Innovation Committee has discussed so far, but FIFA will also visit. The committee was launched in July as a temporary body led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to reform Korean football amid calls for change following the national team's poor World Cup performance.
The letter reportedly cited a provision in the FIFA statutes under which a member association could face sanctions if a third party improperly interferes with its independence.
The KFA was preparing the materials about the innovation committee requested by FIFA when it was notified of the planned on-site review.
Park Ji-sung, a member of a FIFA committee, and Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Ryu Seung-min serve as co-chairs of the K-Football Innovation Committee. The committee is discussing a broad range of priorities aimed at strengthening the future competitiveness of Korean football, including football governance, youth player development and the adoption of advanced technology systems.
There are concerns, however, that the committee's activities could be seen as government interference in the KFA.
“The independence of the Korea Football Association is a value and commitment that must be guaranteed,” the K-Football Innovation Committee said when it launched. “There will be no government intervention in the association's affairs beyond the scope prescribed by law.”
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]
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.
