"There are also matches against Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar": Arab media focus on alleged sexual bribery at the Korean Football Association... "Korean sports face unprecedented moral crisis"

*This content was translated by AI.

International attention continues to focus on allegations of sexual bribery involving foreign referees at the Korea Football Association. Not only Japan but also Arab media outlets have closely covered the incident.

On the 7th (Korean time), the Arab sports specialty outlet 365Score published an article titled "A Major Sexual Scandal Shaking Korean Football," stating, "The situation surrounding the KFA is unfolding rapidly. With criminal investigations and media exposés converging, Korean sports and the national football team are facing an unprecedented administrative and moral crisis."

Earlier, on the 6th, a JTBC report revealed that a document titled "Investigation Results on Corruption by KFA Officials and Employees," prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016, reportedly contained details indicating that the KFA engaged in inappropriate sexual bribery seven times between March 2011 and March 2012 against foreign referees and others who participated in national team matches.

The matches mentioned in the document include three World Cup and Olympic qualifiers held domestically and four friendly matches, totaling seven games. In these seven matches where allegations were raised, South Korea recorded five wins and two draws.

These include: a March 2011 friendly match against Honduras (4-0 win) for the A national team; an Olympic team match against China in the same month (1-0 win); an A national team match against Serbia in June (2-1 win); an Oman match in September for the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers (2-0 win); a Poland match in October for the A national team (2-2 draw); a Kuwait match in February 2012 for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (2-0 win); and a Qatar match in March for the London Olympics qualifiers (0-0 draw).

Allegations claim that during these matches, inappropriate hospitality was provided to two to four referees or one match supervisor.

365Score cited Korean media reports, stating, "It has been revealed that the KFA used corporate credit cards to provide sexual bribery to at least 10 foreign referees and match supervisors across seven international matches held between 2011 and 2012."

Notably, the outlet highlighted that the matches included important games such as the Kuwait match for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, and the Oman and Qatar matches for the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers.

Given that these were matches against Middle Eastern countries like Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, and involved crucial qualifiers for World Cup and Olympic qualification, Arab media appear to have given significant attention to this aspect.

Specific details of corporate credit card usage were also disclosed. According to the document, on February 29, 2012, ahead of the 2014 World Cup Asian qualifiers match between South Korea and Kuwait held at Seoul World Cup Stadium, a payment of 500,000 won was made using the KFA's corporate credit card at a massage parlor in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the early morning of the match day.

On September 22, 2011, 760,000 won was paid at a massage business in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do. At that time, the South Korean Olympic team played against Oman in the final Asian qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics at the Changwon Football Center.

Additionally, on March 14, 2012, a payment of 198,000 won was made using the KFA's corporate credit card at a massage parlor in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This has raised allegations that the funds were used for inappropriate hospitality directed at match supervisors responsible for managing and overseeing referees.

Regarding this, 365Score explained, "The document includes records of payments made at massage businesses and entertainment venues in Seoul and Changwon," adding, "Among these, there was a case where 198,000 won was paid in connection with a match supervisor in March 2012."

It further added, "Korean media cited a former official from the KFA Referee Committee, stating that such hospitality was considered a kind of 'custom' aimed at gaining favor and goodwill from foreign referees."

The allegations emerged during the tenure of Cho Jung-yeon, not under the regime of Chung Mong-gyu. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's audit and discovery of relevant facts occurred in 2016, after Chung Mong-gyu took office.

The Ministry reportedly reached this conclusion byizing testimonies from multiple KFA officials related to referees, corporate credit card usage records, and explanatory materials submitted by the association. However, details regarding sexual bribery involving foreign referees were not disclosed to the public at that time.

It is reported that Chung Mong-gyu has worked hard on internal management and institutional improvements since taking office to eradicate inappropriate practices including sexual bribery. In fact, it is known that no corporate credit card payment records related to sexual bribery similar to this allegation have been confirmed since Chung took office in 2013.

The KFA also explained, "Association documents are retained for five years, and since this incident occurred about 15 years ago, it is difficult to verify all circumstances at present." However, they added, "Given the raised social standards, we are implementing strict internal controls and management/supervision regarding corporate credit card usage, and have established internal management guidelines that we adhere to."

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*This content was translated by AI.