Recently, the Korea Football Association made an absurd decision to pardon players who were expelled for participating in match fixing, and eventually withdrew after being beaten by the public. In this regard, former national soccer players Lee Young-pyo and Lee Dong-guk, who were serving as vice presidents of the Korea Football Association, both resigned.
On the 28th of last month, there was an incident that stirred up the Korean soccer world. Ahead of the national football team evaluation match between Korea and Uruguay, the Korea Football Association unexpectedly announced that it would pardon 100 former and incumbent players, coaches, and referees who were disciplined for various misconduct. The shocking fact is that 48 out of 50 players who were expelled for participating in match-fixing in professional football in 2011 were included in the pardon. Soccer fans could not hide their anger, and the National Federation of Livestock Cooperatives had to listen to all kinds of criticism.
The reason why the Livestock Cooperatives suffered so much criticism is that from any point of view, the decision to pardon this time did not make sense. In the fan-centered sports world, match-fixing is treated as a crime close to life imprisonment. The Korea Livestock Cooperative has done a terrible job of forgiving sports people who have committed such a serious crime. When the reason for the amnesty of the livestock cooperative was revealed, the public’s backlash intensified. This is because the Federation of Livestock Cooperatives announced that it was promoted in a sense of self-congratulation for the achievements of advancing to the World Cup finals for the 10th time in a row and the round of 16 in the World Cup in Qatar. Fans couldn’t hide their anger. Fans criticized, saying, ‘There are people who suffered, but is it giving the benefit of amnesty to those who had a negative impact on the development of Korean football?’
If this pardon decision had been made as planned, it was not simply a one-time issue. Because it was the first pardon related to match-fixing, there were concerns that even if you were caught participating in match-fixing in the future, if you endured for 10 years, the formula of pardon would arise.
Then why on earth did the Football Association make such a decision? This amnesty was such a mysterious decision that even officials currently in the football world said there was little common sense reason to speculate. Some speculated that it was pardoned in large numbers to make a justification for the purpose of pardoning a specific person. Suspicion was also raised that there was an intervention from a higher level than the Korea Football Association. The reason for such illogical speculations is that the reason for the amnesty presented by the Football Association was just an excuse for anyone to see, and there was no reason to persuade the amnesty.
In the end, after the amnesty was withdrawn, the directors of the livestock cooperative decided to resign en masse. Because the situation is the situation, it seems that he is just trying to escape from the negative situation. There are also many criticisms that the directors are avoiding responsibility by leaving their positions. With all the characters deciding to leave if they play a pivotal role in the current association, it doesn’t seem easy to find the right people to join this burdensome position.
The decision to pardon the livestock cooperative, which was not so understandable, ended with only a big scar on the Korean soccer world. This should never happen again in the future. Of course, with the withdrawal, the worst situation was avoided right away, but the fact that these issues were discussed and decided is still uncomfortable for football fans. The Korea Football Association should not forget the impact of this incident and make sure that it does not make such a decision again in the future.
