FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - World Cup - Asian Qualifiers - Third Round - Group B - South Korea v Iraq - Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea - October 15, 2024 South Korea coach Myung-Bo Hong lines up during the national anthems before the match REUTERS/Kim Soo-Hyeon/File Photo
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's sports ministry on Tuesday called for the suspension of the Korea Football Association (KFA) chief for breaking its own rules when hiring two men's national team head coaches.
The recommendation was included in the final results of an audit probing the organisation's recruitment of Hong Myung-bo and his predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann, which sparked a public backlash amid accusations of favoritism. The audit also investigated suspected financial and administrative irregularities.
The audit's interim findings last month showed that KFA President Chung Mong-gyu had breached the association's rules by appointing the two coaches despite lacking the authority to do so.
Calls to the KFA went unanswered. Chung said at a parliamentary hearing late last month that the hiring process was not perfect but that he did not break any rules.
Hong said in September that his appointment was not the result of preferential treatment by the KFA.
The ministry demanded that Chung be suspended from duty and face appropriate disciplinary action alongside other senior KFA officials within a month, saying they had "incapacitated" the National Team Committee, an advisory body responsible for recruiting coaching staff.
"When the problems with the coach selection process were revealed, the KFA even distributed press releases with false rebuttals, deceiving the public," it said in a statement.
It said the KFA also violated regulations in taking government subsidies and using its own funds.
The ministry called for the KFA to devise measures over the next two months to address procedural defects behind Hong's appointment, including potentially naming new candidates through the National Team Committee.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Ed Davies and Nicholas Yong)
