The Korea Football Association (KFA) pardoned 100 soccer players who were severely punished for match-fixing and other reasons. 

The reason for the amnesty is to celebrate advancing to the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup and advancing to the finals for the 10th consecutive World Cup, and for harmony and a new start in the soccer world. Criticism is emerging not only in the soccer world, but even within the KFA.

On the afternoon of the 28th, KFA held a board of directors meeting in the conference room of the Seoul World Cup Stadium and announced that it had decided to pardon 100 former and current players, coaches, referees, and group executives who were being disciplined for various misconduct. KFA did not disclose the list of 100 pardoned persons. Nearly half of them, 48, were expelled in 2011 for match-fixing in professional football, and the rest are known to have been disciplined for violence or accidents on the amateur stage. Those involved in sexual violence and sexual harassment were excluded from the pardon.

There is a strong voice of criticism towards the KFA in this decision to pardon. In particular, the decision to pardon a large number of match-fixing participants is causing great controversy. At that time, 50 people were expelled, and through this pardon, all the rest were exonerated except for two people who were judged to be of bad quality. 

At the time of the match-fixing controversy, Chung Mong-gyu, then president of the Professional Football Federation, who apologized, saying, “Cancerous entities must be cut out,” became the KFA head and opened the way for cancerous entities to return to the soccer world.

According to the soccer world, the proposal for amnesty for match-fixing participants who were expelled has been steadily raised since 2-3 years ago. It was the opinion of some soccer players that forgiveness should be given as 10 years have passed since the punishment. KFA has repeatedly refused, but in line with the recent atmosphere of the round of 16 in the World Cup in Qatar, the opinion that the amnesty should be reviewed internally also emerged, and eventually discussions began. 먹튀검증

At the board of directors, Jo Yeon-sang, director of KFA and secretary-general of the Professional Football Federation, said, “A pardon for players involved in match fixing can easily send the wrong message. It would be better if the zero-tolerance principle was maintained.”

Those who have been pardoned even after committing match-fixing crimes can now return to the scene as leaders. Those who had been expelled for participating in match-fixing became qualified to coach young players. A football official said, “This is absolutely impossible. Those who committed match-fixing, the biggest evil among many crimes, have been able to return as leaders such as coaching staff in the school soccer department,” he said. I can’t,” he lamented.