1. Korean Football at a Crossroads: Will Replacing the President Solve Everything?
The calls for reform in Korean football are louder and more powerful than ever. The shocking failure to qualify for the World Cup is seen not merely as a defeat in a sporting event, but as a result stemming from structural flaws within Korean football. Fans are understandably furious, as these fatal flaws have been consistently pointed out over the past three years, yet the sport has ultimately faced this outcome. Korean football is truly standing on the edge of a cliff, and one wrong step could lead to a total collapse. For now, concerns outweigh hopes. A recent attempt to summon players to a National Assembly hearing, which was later withdrawn, is a prime example. Members of the National Assembly, as representatives of the people and constitutional institutions, have a responsibility to oversee the Korea Football Association (KFA). However, looking at past precedents, the reality has often been a so-called political show, filled with shouting and humiliation rather than uncovering and correcting structural problems. Questions that lack professional expertise and an understanding of the field only undermine trust in the National Assembly. Italy in 1966 and France in 2010 are cases in point. The National Assembly attempted to investigate the causes of their World Cup failures, but in the end, these actions only exacerbated the wounds of their respective football communities. One can only hope that these past lessons will serve as a warning, and that this process will proceed in a constructive direction. The steps taken by the Innovation Committee are also precarious. Before the first meeting, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young began by announcing in his opening remarks that he would hand over his position as co-chair to Korea Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min.
[Choi Hwi-young / Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: You will accept, right? (Yes.) Then I will step down from the chairmanship.]
This decision appears to be made with the FIFA statutes, which strictly prohibit government interference, in mind. However, the structure makes it easy for the government's intentions to be reflected in the process of reforming the KFA's decision-making system and governance. The immediate issue is the revision of election laws. The Innovation Committee holds the position that the upcoming election cannot be held under the existing indirect voting system, which involves an electoral college of 100 to 300 people. They intend to significantly expand the electoral college, but for that to happen, the election regulations of the Korea Sport & Olympic Committee, the parent organization, must be revised first. Furthermore, the KFA's subsequent amendment must be approached carefully and precisely to ensure it does not conflict with FIFA's statutes or regulations. With the President effectively ordering a direct election system, the key is how the Innovation Committee will solve this puzzle. The number of registered members in the KFA exceeds 100,000. If a direct election is held, it would cost billions of won, similar to the scale of a district mayor election in Jongno-gu.
[Korea Sport & Olympic Committee Official: If we were to divide the voting into about 100 gymnasiums, it could cost billions of won, so the concern is how to cover these costs.]
Given the already chaotic reality and capacity of the association, they might find themselves unable to handle any tasks other than the election. Moreover, since most of the registered members are amateur sports enthusiasts, while the system we are trying to change mainly concerns elite sports, deciding how many and how to expand the electoral college will be a difficult process. With the Korea Sport & Olympic Committee having already concluded that transitioning to a direct election system is practically impossible, the Innovation Committee faces the challenge of finding a solution that satisfies the public and the government while remaining realistic. The process of appointing the next head coach is also an uphill battle. Although the Innovation Committee has drawn a line, stating that coach appointment is a matter for the National Team Committee for Strengthening, the extent of the committee's authority and responsibility is tied to the governance structure, making it difficult to separate the two completely. There is an A-match period spanning three weeks starting from the end of September. The committee is currently struggling with many questions before even beginning the candidate selection process: should this unusually long period be handled by an interim coach? If a permanent coach is appointed, can the next executive branch maintain continuity with a decision made under the current acting president system? More specifically, what should the scale and duration of the contract be? And is it realistic to use the Asian Cup in January next year as an intermediate evaluation stage? It is not easy to speed up the process, but if they only proceed while worrying about public sentiment, it is clear that the chaos of the past four years will only be repeated.
2. How Have Other Countries Overcome Similar Challenges?
We can learn from the examples of other countries. To improve performance, even if it takes time, we must conduct a thorough analysis of the youth football scene and then overhaul our development methods, systems, and policies based on those findings. Belgium, which was eliminated in the group stage of the 2000 European Championship as the first host country to do so, spent the following two years focusing solely on analyzing youth football. They established policies to solve the problems they discovered, and the result was the emergence of a golden generation led by Kevin De Bruyne. To select a good coach, the association's decision-making structure must be clearly defined. Standards must be set regarding the extent of the National Team Committee for Strengthening's authority, whether it is merely an advisory body, and how much leeway it has in terms of negotiation conditions. To select a good president, changing the election system alone is not enough. There is something else that is important. No matter how democratically the election system is changed, it is useless if the right person does not step forward. This is a time when responsibility and courage for Korean football are needed, rather than stepping back because it is a position where anyone will be criticized. In 2014, Brazil suffered a shocking 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup held in their own country. This is the so-called tragedy of the Mineirazo. Immediately after the match, Juninho Paulista, a former Brazilian national team player who was interviewed by the British public broadcaster BBC, replied to a reporter who was trying to console him over the devastating defeat: "No, no. I love football. This is the result that football wants. We need to look calmly and coolly at what is wrong with Brazilian football from now on. It is not because we lost today. It is because there is clearly something wrong with youth education and the way our players are currently playing." It is heartbreaking, but we, too, have received the result that football wants. It is time for us to calmly and coolly, even if it takes time, clearly solve our problems.
Reported by Lee Jeong-Chan | Produced by Shin Hee-sook | Video by Hwang Se-hoe, Park Woo-jin | Video Editing by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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