Ahead of Asian Games, Ji So-yun Wins Complete Victory in Legal Battle With Ex-Chelsea Agent

Ji So-yun, the captain of the women's national football team gearing up for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games opening on the 19th, has won her appeal in a commission lawsuit against the agent who represented her during her days at Chelsea.

On August 20th of last month, Civil Division 33 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Chang-hyung) dismissed the appeal filed by Ji's former agent, surnamed Kim.

Kim claimed that Ji unilaterally terminated their exclusive intermediary contract seven months after signing it in May 2018.

Kim subsequently placed provisional attachments on Ji's domestic assets and filed a lawsuit demanding approximately 260,000 pounds (worth about 500 million won) in unpaid commissions, arguing that she failed to pay commissions stemming from her Chelsea weekly wages, global corporate sponsorship revenue, and Korea Football Association allowances generated during the contract period.

However, both the first and second-instance tribunals completely rejected Kim's claims.

The court pointed out, "Agent Kim, operating in Europe, must have been well aware that players are prohibited from entering into dual intermediary contracts. Nevertheless, without informing Ji of this, Kim told her to 'sign the contract first and notify the existing agency later,' thereby shattering the foundation of trust first."

The court also judged, "Even when the English Football Association warned that it would launch an investigation if the dual contract issue was not resolved, Kim failed to offer any viable solutions, exposing Ji to the risk of an investigation by the association. Such exclusive contracts can be legitimately terminated once the relationship of trust is broken."

It further explained, "There is no evidence to prove that Kim directly negotiated the weekly wage contract with Chelsea FC, sponsorships, or Korea Football Association allowances."

(Photo courtesy of Suwon FC Women, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.