KORAt a time when calls to overhaul South Korean football are louder than ever, an incident has exposed the raw and ugly reality of our school-level football system. A high school football tournament has descended into chaos due to a botched match draw, followed by forfeit losses handed down to teams that raised objections to a re-draw.
This is an exclusive report by Hong Seok-jun.
Last Monday, kickoff time arrives, but the players are nowhere to be seen.
[What are you doing? Just blow the whistle and declare a forfeit.]
On one side of the pitch under heavy rain, parents drop to their knees and raise their voices, protesting that the match must not go ahead.
[We just want you to follow the bracket that was already released.]
With even the police dispatched to the scene, the Jecheon City Football Association, which organized the tournament, admitted to poor tournament management and bowed their heads in apology to the parents.
[Kim Yong-ki / President, Jecheon City Football Association: Please calm your anger. We did make mistakes. We acknowledge that mistakes were made. We will do our absolute best to ensure no one is put at a disadvantage.]
Here is how it all unfolded.
Marking its 59th edition this year, the President's Cup was originally scheduled to hold an 18-team knockout tournament after the group stage, featuring the top two teams from each group.
However, controversy erupted late last Sunday when it was belatedly discovered that the initial knockout bracket draw had been conducted improperly, prompting a decision to redraw.
Amid a lack of clear regulations regarding redraws, a fierce debate ensued over the method between the organizers, schools, and parents. Teams that received less favorable matchups in the redraw than the initial draw demanded a return to the original bracket or a complete fresh draw.
The association belatedly promised a third draw.
[Parent: Are you saying you will draw the bracket again? (Yes, we will do that right now.)]
However, yesterday (the 21st), following an official interpretation by the Korea Football Association that there were no issues with the second draw process, the third draw did not take place. Consequently, two teams that refused to play in defiance ended up being handed forfeit losses, throwing the tournament into complete disarray.
[Parent: The organizers are pulling out regulations. They have a rule (according to Article 25) stating that 'exceptional situations can be decided by Jecheon Association officials (the tournament operation headquarters).' The drawing process is genuinely crucial. They need to go to university. For kids who need to go to university, they refuse to acknowledge their own faults.]
While players of a similar age in Europe grow into world-class stars under advanced systems to play on the World Cup stage, this kind of farce continues to unfold in our school football scene, where students are still forced to desperately chase a 'top-four finish in a national tournament' simply to secure admission to university.
(Camera: Yoo Dong-hyuk | Video Editing: Hwang Ji-young | Design: Han Song-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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