KFA chief pledges $3.4 mil. won for football center construction

Korea Soccer Affiliation (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu speaks throughout a press convention to announce his bid for a fourth time period as head of the KFA in Seoul, Dec. 19, 2024. Yonhap

In pursuit of his fourth time period as head of the Korea Soccer Affiliation (KFA), Chung Mong-gyu on Tuesday supplied to donate 5 billion received ($3.4 million) for the continuing building of a brand new soccer middle.

The development work for the brand new soccer headquarters in Cheonan, some 85 kilometers south of Seoul, started in April 2022. The KFA has reportedly skilled some hassle funding the undertaking, with almost a dozen pure grass and synthetic grass coaching pitches, indoor enjoying and coaching amenities, a soccer museum and new workplace house for the KFA over 478,000 sq. meters of land.

„As a way to guarantee profitable completion of the soccer middle, I’ve determined to donate 5 billion received to the KFA,“ mentioned Chung, who can also be chairman of the true property developer HDC Hyundai Growth Co. „I wished to reciprocate the help of soccer folks and additional spotlight the significance of the soccer middle for the general public.“

In saying his candidacy on Dec. 19, Chung mentioned he wished to complete tasks that started throughout his present time period, together with the soccer middle building.

Chung’s announcement got here a day earlier than the election towards former Korean males’s nationwide crew head coach Huh Jung-moo and former TV commentator Shin Moon-sun was to happen. Nonetheless, it has been postponed indefinitely after the Seoul Central District Court docket on Tuesday granted an injunction filed by Huh to halt the election over an obvious lack of equity and transparency.

Huh has questioned the transparency of the KFA’s election administration committee and accused it of manipulating the composition of the electoral school. The Seoul courtroom sided with Huh on Tuesday, citing „grave breaches of procedural guidelines“ by the KFA.

Huh additionally accused Chung of attempting to purchase votes along with his pledge to donate 5 billion received.

Shin additionally beforehand mentioned he had proof that Chung’s camp had been attempting to purchase votes throughout its marketing campaign.

Chung has taken the excessive street, saying on Monday that his marketing campaign is „constructed on coverage objectives.“

Chung has been main the KFA since 2013. He beat three candidates in his first election after which ran unopposed to win every of the following two phrases.

Within the three-horse race this yr, Chung is taken into account the favourite. On Monday, the Korea Soccer Coaches Affiliation endorsed Chung, solely six months after demanding Chung’s speedy resignation in gentle of the KFA’s controversial hiring of Hong Myung-bo as new head coach of the boys’s nationwide crew. (Yonhap)