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South Korean sports vice minister says FIFA has no grounds to object to football reform committee

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Vice Minister Kim Dae-hyun said FIFA’s planned inspection of South Korea’s K Football Innovation Committee should not create major problems.
  • He said the committee is advisory and cannot coerce or regulate the Korea Football Association, while the culture minister’s participation should not pose an issue.
  • FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation had requested information about changes to the association’s presidential election structure and other domestic football matters, but postponed their visit for internal reasons.

South Korea’s culture and sports ministry says FIFA should have little reason to object to the work of the K Football Innovation Committee.

Kim Dae-hyun, the ministry’s second vice minister, said the committee had been structured with the issue in mind. He noted that it includes Korea Sports & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min and former national team player Park Ji-sung as co-chairs, a setup intended to avoid concerns over political interference.

There should be no major problem.

— Kim Dae-hyunThe vice minister responded to FIFA’s planned on-site inspection of the K Football Innovation Committee.

Kim said the committee is an advisory body and has no power to compel or regulate the Korea Football Association. He added that Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young’s participation as a committee member should not create a problem.

We had recognized even before the innovation committee was launched that we needed to anticipate this issue and not give grounds for controversy.

— Kim Dae-hyunHe explained why the committee’s structure was designed to avoid allegations of political interference.

FIFA strictly prohibits political authorities from intervening in the affairs of member associations. Violations can lead to severe sanctions, including bans from international competitions, suspension or expulsion.

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation recently sent an official letter to the Korea Football Association requesting information about the situation in Korean football, including proposed changes to the structure of the next presidential election. They had planned an on-site inspection in South Korea but postponed it on the 2nd because of internal circumstances.

The innovation committee is an advisory committee, so it has no function to coerce or regulate.

— Kim Dae-hyunHe described the committee’s limited authority.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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