South Korea’s football association has issued an apology over multiple controversies, including allegations that foreign referees were provided with sexual services paid for using association credit cards.
A report compiled by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016 and released last week found that 5.6 million won (£2,927) was spent on “sexual entertainment” at massage parlours for visiting referees in the early 2010s. Those officials included referees who handled qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup and the London 2012 Olympic Games, both of which South Korea reached.
Investigators concluded that KFA staff concealed the nature of the expenses by recording them as food, drinks, or massages. According to JTBC, a KFA official said such practices were common at the time.
In a social media statement, the KFA apologized for the disappointment and concern caused, citing several factors, among them the national team’s poor showing on the road to the 2026 World Cup and media coverage of incidents from more than a decade ago that many current staff did not know about. The association stressed that inappropriate conduct and misuse of corporate cards are not happening now, acknowledging it has strayed from its core mission and is in a difficult situation.
Earlier this summer, manager Hong Myung-bo and KFA president Chung Mong-gyu resigned following intense public backlash after South Korea failed to advance from a World Cup group featuring Mexico, the Czech Republic, and South Africa.