'Investigation Purpose' FIFA's 'Sudden Postponement' of Planned Visit to Korea? Kim Dae-hyun, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: "No Authority to Coerce or Regulate the Football Association"

*This content was translated by AI.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has suddenly postponed its planned on-site inspection schedule intended to investigate the activities of the 'K-Football Innovation Committee' (hereinafter referred to as the Innovation Committee), which was launched under government leadership.

According to NEWS1 and NEWSIS on the 2nd, FIFA notified the Korea Football Association (KFA) the previous day that it would delay its scheduled visit to Korea due to internal circumstances. A KFA official stated, "FIFA will announce the specific details of the future visit schedule after further discussions with its own internal calendar and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)." The activity-related data regarding the Innovation Committee that FIFA had previously requested has not yet been submitted.

Originally, FIFA planned to form a three-person investigation team, including the head of the secretariat of member associations, and visit Korea for two nights and three days during the second week of September. Earlier, on the 21st, FIFA sent an official letter jointly with AFC to the football association, requesting information on the activities and related details of the Innovation Committee.

Notably, the letter contained a provision from FIFA's statutes stating that if a third party inappropriately interferes with the autonomy and independence of a member association, severe sanctions such as suspension could be imposed, which sparked significant controversy.

The Innovation Committee was established last July under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, accepting public calls for comprehensive reform within the football community following the disappointing result of the national team led by coach Hong Myung-bo, which failed to advance past the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Park Ji-sung, a living legend of Korean football, serves as a member of FIFA's working committee and also holds the position of Gong Dong-wi (Director) alongside Yoo Seung-min, President of the Korean Olympic Committee. The committee has focused on discussions including improving K-football governance, establishing a youth player development system, and introducing advanced technology systems. A total of six meetings were held up to the listening session on the 19th. At this meeting, a reform recommendation was also announced to significantly expand the size of the football association president election voter pool from around 200 people to approximately 20,000.

However, as government ministries took the lead in organizing the committee and changing key association matters such as the election system, concerns were consistently raised that this could constitute 'political or external interference,' which is strictly prohibited by FIFA statutes.

In response, Kim Dae-hyun, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated during a pre-briefing for the National Sports Policy Committee held at the government complex in Seoul on the 2nd: "From the very beginning of the Innovation Committee's establishment, we fully considered concerns about infringement of independence and the possibility of disciplinary action when designing its structure. To ensure autonomous activities within the sports community, Choi Hwi-yeong (Minister) stepped down from Gong Dong-wi (Director) before the first meeting, and Park Ji-sung committee member and Yoo Seung-min (Chairman) took on the role of Gong Dong-wi (Director)."

He further stated that "Kim (Vice Minister) is an advisory body in nature and has absolutely no authority to coerce or regulate the football association. Since it is a platform where all relevant institutional investors, including the Korean Olympic Committee, the Korea Football Association, and the K League, come together to collaborate, FIFA should not raise any issue with the Minister serving as a committee member."

He also added, "Countries that have previously received sanctions from FIFA were cases where governments took extreme measures such as forcibly dissolving their associations. The government has only participated as part of the support team," drawing a clear line.

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*This content was translated by AI.