The Korea Football Association is under scrutiny following a police raid related to allegations of misconduct in the hiring process of former national team coach Hong Myung-bo. The situation has intensified with revelations that the association provided sexual services to foreign referees in the past.
A report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, made public on August 7, revealed that from March 2011 to March 2012, the Korea Football Association offered sexual services to over 10 foreign referees and officials during seven A matches and Olympic team games held in South Korea.
The referees came from various countries, including Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Bahrain, and Uzbekistan. Payments were made using the association's corporate credit cards at massage parlors in Seoul's Gangnam district, Changwon, and Ulsan, ranging from hundreds of thousands to over one million won.
During the seven matches officiated by these referees, the South Korean football team achieved five wins and two draws, remaining undefeated. This included victories in the final qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics against Oman (2-0) and Qatar (0-0), as well as wins in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait (2-0) and Honduras (4-0), and draws against Serbia (2-2) and Poland (1-1), along with a win against the Chinese Olympic team (1-0).
However, it is unlikely that this scandal will lead to direct disciplinary action from FIFA, as the statute of limitations for general violations under FIFA's ethics code is limited to 5 to 10 years. Given that these events occurred nearly 15 years ago, retroactive application of penalties is structurally challenging.
Nonetheless, the fallout is expected to damage the association's credibility both domestically and internationally. Foreign media outlets are closely covering the controversy surrounding the Korea Football Association.
The Japanese football media outlet The World described the allegations of sexual services as actions that undermine the fairness and ethics of sports, warning that the issue could have repercussions not only for the Korea Football Association but for the entire international football community.
Japanese-language AFP and other outlets expressed shock at the involvement of Japanese referees in the scandal.
The police raid conducted on August 6 has also drawn significant attention from foreign media. Major outlets, including Reuters, the Associated Press, The Washington Post, and Al Jazeera, reported on the police's search of the Korea Football Association headquarters in Seoul and the Chungnam Football Center in Cheonan as part of the investigation into allegations of misconduct in Hong's hiring.
The search warrant executed that day reportedly included charges of obstruction of business. This marks the first time police have conducted a forced investigation into the Korea Football Association regarding this matter.
Global football media outlet Goal.com highlighted the core allegation of the 'Bakery Scandal,' which involves an unauthorized individual offering the coaching position near the coach's home. Reports noted that the disappointing outcome of South Korea's elimination from the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup reignited public anger and revived an investigation that had stalled for over two years.
AFP noted that the decision to bench Son Heung-min during the first half of the pivotal match against South Africa sparked outrage among fans, who jeered at Hong upon his return to the airport.
Additionally, the Yomiuri Shimbun pointed out that questions about the transparency and fairness of the hiring process have arisen due to the connection between former Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-kyu and Hong, who graduated from the same university, especially following the criticism that erupted after the team's group stage exit from the North and Central America World Cup.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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