SEOUL: The Korea Football Association apologised on Aug. 8 after a 2016 government audit resurfaced allegations that it funded sexual entertainment for visiting foreign referees from 2011 to 2012.
The KFA said the reports concerned events that many employees had not known about. In its official statement, it promised reforms and said such conduct or corporate-card misuse does not occur at the association now.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism audit said KFA cards were used to pay for visits to massage parlours and other adult establishments.
Yonhap News Agency reported that about 12 referees and match coordinators received the services around seven international fixtures.
The ministry said it withheld details in 2016 because it could not verify every fact. Yonhap reported that the accused KFA employees were neither convicted nor disciplined.
The games included qualifiers for the London 2012 Olympic Games and 2014 FIFA World Cup. South Korea’s national football teams recorded five wins and two draws. The audit did not establish that the spending influenced results.
One listed fixture was South Korea’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Kuwait on Feb. 29, 2012, at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul.
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The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on Aug. 10 that it was considering whether to investigate the historical allegations. Police had not opened a case and first needed to examine legal requirements, including limitation periods.
That review is separate from an investigation into the KFA’s 2024 appointment of former men’s national team coach Hong Myung-bo. Police raided association offices in Seoul and Cheonan on Aug. 6 as part of that inquiry.
