Police raid South Korea FA probe world cup coach appointment through Hong Myung-bo

• South Korean police carried out a raid on the Korea Football Association (KFA) as part of an investigation into the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as head coach of the national team.
• The investigation is aimed at determining whether there was any “unlawful influence” in the process of appointing KFA’s next coach.
• Hong Myung-bo was previously in charge of the national team, which finished third in the 2010 World Cup group stage in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat and L'Équipe, the police raid is linked to the appointment of the World Cup coach.

South Korean police carried out a raid of the Korea Football Association (KFA) offices as part of an investigation into the appointment of Hong Myung-bo, according to a report by AFP. In particular, investigators are looking into whether there was any “unlawful influence” in the appointment process.

As AFP reports, Lee Jae Myung is seeking to determine whether Hong Myung-bo was appointed as head coach despite the fact that the coach’s contract had been terminated. Media reports say that KFA has said it will cooperate with the investigation.

Hong Myung-bo, who is 57 years old, was in charge of the national team that finished third in the group stage at the 2010 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. After the group stage, the team was eliminated after losing 1-0 to Cameroon.

AFP also notes that, according to the documents, Hong Myung-bo’s team won the 2024 Asian Cup qualifier, but that it was not clear whether he had been involved in the decision to appoint him. In addition, AFP reports that KFA has said it will cooperate with the investigation.

According to AFP, the president of the Korea Football Association, Lee Jae Myung, said that he had not been involved in the appointment process. He also said that he believed the investigation would shed light on whether there was any “unlawful influence” in the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as head coach.

Tags: Sport/Football