"You were questioning the comfort women, but then you provided sexual services behind the scenes." Japan erupts in fury over KFA referee scandal... "London bronze medal should also be stripped," they demand

*This content was translated by AI.

The controversy over sexual services provided by referees at the Korea Football Association (KFA) has escalated into an international issue. Japanese netizens are demanding that South Korea's bronze medal from the London Olympics be stripped as well.

On the 9th, Japan's 'Coco KARA' reported, "The Korean soccer community is facing unprecedented scandal over referee misconduct that undermines the very foundation of sports. There is a possibility that the bronze medal South Korea won by defeating Japan 14 years ago at the London Olympics could be transferred to Japan."

According to a JTBC report on the 7th, the KFA provided sexual services to approximately 10 foreign referees in a total of seven matches from 2011 to 2012, including the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 Brazil World Cup and the final qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics. The costs were paid using corporate cards at massage parlors in Seoul, Changwon, Ulsan, and other locations. The South Korean national team recorded five wins and two draws in those seven matches. It is known that a Japanese referee was also involved in this incident, drawing significant attention from Japanese media.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) has reportedly launched an investigation into four Japanese referees accused of receiving sexual services from the KFA.

As the issue escalates into an international matter, Japanese media reported, "The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which oversees these matches, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) strictly prohibit direct or indirect match-fixing and other forms of unfair conduct that compromise fairness. If violations are confirmed, the organizing bodies have the authority to strip medals."

They further stated, "There has been no precedent for stripping an Olympic medal due to referee bribery or inappropriate sexual services. However, if South Korea's medal is stripped and awarded to Japan, it would cause a massive uproar. The key issue now is whether the IOC and AFC will officially launch an investigation."

Japanese netizens also strongly criticized the article through its comments. Netizen A said, "During the London Olympics, there were allegations that South Korean player Park Jong-woo engaged in political performances that could have led to medal stripping, but the matter was ultimately dropped. At that time, it must be thoroughly investigated whether some form of favor was provided. Considering the precedent of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, they likely also provided services not only to referees but also to FIFA officials."

Netizen B stated, "Why do you act as victims when claiming medals won through misconduct should be taken away? It is incomprehensible that while publicly criticizing Japan over the comfort women statues, you simultaneously engage in sexual services behind the scenes. You must thoroughly investigate even the 2002 World Cup match against Italy, which was marred by the worst officiating errors in history."

Netizen C insisted, "The Olympic medal should certainly be stripped. If there had been no refereeing errors, South Korea would have lost to Italy in the 2002 World Cup, and that record should be corrected to reflect a 16th-round elimination."

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*This content was translated by AI.