It was revealed that FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) sent an official warning letter to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism regarding the audit of the Korea Football Association and pending questions at the National Assembly.
FIFA and AFC told the Korea Football Association (KFA) on the 29th of last month that `the Korea Football Association could be sanctioned if it is unfairly intervened by a third partyan official letter containing " was sent. It is five days after Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, and Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the A national team, were criticized by lawmakers of the ruling and opposition parties at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 24th of last month.
The official letter, in the name of FIFA President Marie Kenny and AFC Vahid Kardani Secretary-General, read, `We are paying attention to media reports on the ministry's audit of the KFA's appointment as a new head coach and inquiries about KFA executives and staff members by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on Sept. 24"KFA has a legal obligation to manage its affairs independently and ensure that it is not unfairly influenced by third parties" he warned.
Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the FIFA Articles of Incorporation (i), Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the 'Duties of Member Organizations', Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the 'Independence of Member Associations' AFC Articles of Incorporation 'Each association shall operate independently and shall not be excessively influential by third parties' stipulates a clause. 'Third Party' is a collective term for places that exert political and social influence, such as government, parliament, and political parties, and expressed concern over excessive intervention by third parties, especially in the appointment of a national team coach where the technical expertise of soccer is at play.
FIFA then sent a clear warning message to Article 14, Paragraphs 2 and 3. '(It must be independent of third-party interference etc.)Please note that any violation of the obligations of a member organization may result in sanctions even if the intervention of a third party is not the fault of the football association concerned."
Although there are different cases, FIFA's disciplinary cases in case of violating member states' obligations have not been difficult to find recently. Most are examples of Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, where the independence of sports is not guaranteed. In 2014, the Nigerian Football Association suspended its executives from a high court order and was suspended after the government directly managed the football association. In 2015, the Kuwaiti government revised the sports law to give the minister the right to personnel and finances in charge of Kuwait's Mod Sports Organization and Federation, and Pakistan in 2021, Kenya, Zimbabwe in 2022, and Sri Lanka in 2023 were also suspended for excessive government intervention.
