South Korea’s football governing body, the Korea Football Association (KFA), is accused of arranging paid sexual services for foreign referees in 2011 and 2012, according to a past government audit reviewed by South Korean media. The allegations stem from confidential audit documents compiled in 2016 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and first reported by broadcaster JTBC. The audit reportedly says the KFA used corporate credit cards to cover costs for “sexual entertainment” provided to visiting referees at massage parlors and adult establishments in Seoul and other cities that hosted international matches during March 2011 to March 2012. The matches included qualifiers connected to the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the report says. At the time, Cho Chung-yun led the KFA, per the audit summary cited by outlets. Former KFA officials quoted by JTBC and additional reporting claim the referees requested to be served at such establishments and that accommodating those requests was viewed as common practice at the time. The KFA is facing renewed scrutiny following the publication of the audit details.
South Korean football federation accused of paying for sex services for foreign referees
South Korea’s football governing body, the Korea Football Association (KFA), is accused of arranging paid sexual services for foreign referees in 2011 and 2012, according to a past government audit re...
- A 2016 government audit by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is cited in reports about the allegations.
- The audit reportedly says the Korea Football Association (KFA) used corporate credit cards to pay for “sexual entertainment” for foreign referees at adult establishments between March 2011 and March 2012.
- The events were reportedly linked to international matches in Korea, including qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
- Media reports, citing former KFA officials, say visiting referees allegedly requested services and that accommodating such requests was described as a common practice at the time.
- Cho Chung-yun is reported as the KFA president during the period covered by the audit.
South Korea’s football governing body is facing further pressure after allegations emerged that it arranged sexual services for foreign referees in 2011 and 2012 in an apparent effort to influence officiating. The allegations centre on confidential audit documents prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016, according to a report by South Korean broadcaster JTBC. The report quoted a former Korea Football Association (KFA) official as saying the association sought to have...
3 hours agoThe national football federation apparently provided sexual entertainment to foreign referees before and after international matches held in Korea between 2011 and 2012, a past government audit report has shown. The audit report, compiled by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016, said the Korea Football Association (KFA) used corporate credit cards to pay for sexual entertainment for visiting referees at massage parlors and other adult establishments in Seoul and other cities that hosted international matches between March 2011 and March 2012. Those matches included qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, according to the report. Cho Chung-yun was president of the KFA at the time. JTBC was the first to report on this case Thursday. Former KFA officials told the broadcaster that those international referees specifically asked to be served at adult establishments and that it was "a common practice at the time" to oblige them. One former KFA executive claimed that such a practice was even more egregious in other countries. A current KFA official sai
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