"Not an escape," Lee Im-saeng, why bring up the timeline of 'accepting on June 12 during the Czech Republic match'... Build-up to expose "Jeong Mong-gyu's order"

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Im-saeng (55), former Technical Director of the Korea Football Association, has directly appeared in an administrative lawsuit related to the appointment of coach Hong Myung-bo. As the person responsible for operations, he intends to settle the matter in court.

Lee's side presents two main arguments. First, that the appointment of Coach Hong was a normal business operation carried out under the instruction of Jeong Mong-gyu (Chairman). Second, that his recent move to Cambodia is not an "escape-style job."

Notably, Lee's side clarified the timing of accepting the Technical Director position at Naga World FC by specifying both the exact date and the event of that day: "June 12, when the South Korean national team defeated Czech Republic in the World Cup qualifiers."

The reason Lee's side highlighted "June 12" is clear. As suspicions grew both inside and outside the football community that he was fleeing abroad to avoid unfavorable situations such as audits by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and an appeal trial, they aimed to directly counter these claims with a timeline.

According to Lee's side, the final acceptance of the Naga World FC Director position occurred on June 12, long before the label of "escape" was attached due to the aftermath of the appeal trial. Specifying a particular A-match schedule and date is intended to clearly show that the agreement with the Cambodian club was made prior to the recent controversy.

Lee's side actively refutes the escape allegations also in relation to future court proceedings. Currently, they are presenting "handwritten notes" created at the time as evidence of instructions from higher authorities. This appears to be a consideration that if he were branded with the stigma of an escape-style departure, the persuasiveness of these claims could diminish. Ultimately, emphasizing the date "June 12" reflects their intention to focus on establishing factual details during the trial process.

By identifying Jeong Mong-gyu Jeon (Chairman) as the source of the instruction, Lee's side has also drawn attention to the Korea Football Association's official stance and response direction. Attention is focused on how Lee's testimony claiming "instructions from higher authorities" and the newly mentioned handwritten records will act as variables in future court proceedings.

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*This content was translated by AI.