According to L'Equipe, South Korean police raided the Korea Football Association's offices on Thursday to investigate Hong Myung-bo's appointment as South Korean national team coach in 2024.
According to L'Equipe, South Korean police raided the offices of the Korea Football Association (KFA) on Thursday to investigate Hong Myung-bo's appointment as South Korea's national team coach in 2024. The South Korean team is still reeling from its World Cup group stage exit. Local police conducted a "search and seizure" operation at the KFA offices that day, a police spokesperson told AFP. Police hope to determine whether there was any "obstruction of business" in the normal process of Hong Myung-bo's appointment in 2024. The spokesperson also stated that they want to confirm whether high-ranking officials of the KFA improperly interfered in the appointment and may have violated organizational regulations. The KFA did not respond to AFP's inquiries. The investigation revolves around "nepotism." The 57-year-old Hong Myung-bo ended his second term as South Korea's national team coach at the end of June. He resigned after another humiliating World Cup defeat, mirroring the failure of the 2014 World Cup.
In late July, he was summoned to a parliamentary committee and stated that he took "full responsibility" for the team's elimination. South Korea had a good start, defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening group stage match. However, they subsequently lost 1-0 to Mexico and South Africa, failing to secure enough points to advance to the round of 16 of the North American World Cup. President Lee Jae-myung later blamed the defeat on "incompetent individuals" promoted to management positions, implicitly suggesting nepotism in the sport's leadership. Hong Myung-bo, the former captain of the South Korean team, is considered one of the greatest players in South Korean football history. At the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea, the defender won the Bronze Ball award, symbolizing the third-best player in the tournament, and South Korea reached the semi-finals. Despite this, 24 years later, after the disastrous performance at the 2026 World Cup, he returned home to face harsh boos and death threats.
