Football Association and Ethics Center Both Targeted in 'Double Search and Seizure'... Police Zero In on 'Hong Myung-bo Appointment Mystery' with Cross-Verification

*This content was translated by AI.

Police have launched a comprehensive forced investigation into both the Korea Football Association (KFA) and the Sports Ethics Center in connection with the controversy surrounding the appointment of former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo (57).

According to a report by NEWSIS on the 6th, the Seoul National Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Team for Financial Crimes conducted surprise search and seizure operations at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, and the KFA building located in Seoul Jongno-gu, as well as the Sports Ethics Center. It was reported that police deployed investigators to the Ethics Center from 2 p.m. for about two hours to secure relevant materials.

The core of this search and seizure operation is a 'cross-verification' aimed at confirming the conflicting results between an audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and an investigation by the Ethics Center. Previously, the Ethics Center announced in late 2024 that former coach Hong was the second-ranked candidate during the 10th meeting of the Power Strengthening Committee. In contrast, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had released contradictory results stating that former coach Hong and a foreign coach were jointly ranked first.

At that time, the Ethics Center conducted individual interviews with committee members based on the minutes of the Power Strengthening Committee meeting to ascertain specific circumstances. Police plan to secure these internal testimonies and reports accumulated by the Ethics Center as formal judicial evidence to specifically substantiate allegations of obstruction of business and breach of trust against the KFA.

With evidence emerging that the appointment procedure for the national team head coach was violated and that unilateral administrative actions were taken, this appears to be a procedural step to uncover the substantive truth among the conflicting investigation results from two institutional investors.

Meanwhile, police summoned former coach Hong Myung-bo and former Technical Director Lee Im-saeng as suspects for questioning on the 4th. On the 9th last month, commentator Park Ju-ho, who had strongly criticized the appointment process, was called in as a witness to complete his investigation. As judicial authorities expand their investigative net to include multiple relevant institutional investors, attention is focused on whether the substantive truth surrounding the controversy over the head coach's appointment will be revealed.

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*This content was translated by AI.