Rule change requires national team to ask before poaching K League managers

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Tuesday that it has revised its rules so that it is no longer allowed to take a manager from a K League club without the club’s consent.

Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo looks on during his side's training at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi on Oct. 14. [YONHAP]

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Tuesday that it has revised its rules so that it is no longer allowed to take a manager from a K League club without the club’s consent.

The revision comes to a KFA rule that stipulated that a team cannot block the KFA from appointing its manager to the national team job. Under the revised regulation, the KFA has to consult with the head of the club, who has the right to refuse the offer.

The revision comes after the KFA faced a strong backlash from Korean football fans for unilaterally appointing then-Ulsan HD manager Hong Myung-bo as the national team boss in the middle of the K League 1 season in July.

Hong’s departure angered Ulsan fans, who criticized him for taking the job, despite repeatedly saying that he would not leave Ulsan.

The appointment of Hong was also controversial because KFA Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng allegedly bypassed the National Team Committee, responsible for recommending a national team manager. KFA President Chung Mong-gyu was also embroiled in the controversy, accused of overly influencing the appointment process for both Hong and his predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann.

Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu speaks during a parliamentary committee on culture, sports and tourism at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 24. [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched a probe into the KFA and revealed during a final result announcement on Nov. 5 that Chung interviewed two candidates during the appointment process that saw Klinsmann become the manager, even though he should have had no formal involvement in the procedure.

The ministry demanded Chung suspend himself and other related officials over the controversial appointment processes, but the KFA said that Chung exercised his right as president during the process and has yet to make an announcement about how it will handle the ministry’s demand.

Despite the controversy surrounding Chung, he is reportedly set to run for a fourth term as KFA president.

Candidates can register from Dec. 25 to 27, with the election on Jan. 8 next year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]