Football chief denies attempts to cover up facts behind controversial coaching hiring
Chung Mong-gyu, head of the Korea Football Association (KFA), denied Tuesday that he and his organization had sought to cover up any facts regarding their hiring of the men’s national team head coach Hong Myung-bo. Chung addressed the controversial appointment in a written statement, released before speaking in front of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. Chung was summoned as a witness for the committee’s questioning session .Chung and the KFA have been under considerable heat since hiring Hong Myung-bo as the new head coach of the men’s squad in July. In particular, the KFA has been criticized for not adhering to a proper vetting process when bringing Hong aboard, with Chung suspected of favoring Hong over other candidates.
“When we did not disclose every detail of the negotiating process and did not offer explanations, it wasn’t because we were trying to plot any conspiracy or cover up the truth,” Chung said. “And we were absolutely not trying to select a particular person through an unfair process .”Chung also explained that he wanted to protect the privacy of candidates whose talks with the KFA fell through or who were removed from consideration in various stages. “During my time as president of the KFA, I have never selected a national team head coach against the recommendation of the National Teams Committee or our Technical Committee,” Chung added, referring to bodies in charge of the coaching hiring process. “I have offered procedural advice, but I have never told anyone what to do with a particular candidate.”
On the names of different candidates being leaked to the media, Chung said: “Something like that should never be repeated. I think this process taught us a lesson that we shouldn’t be selecting our national football head coach this way.”Compared to countries in Europe and South America, South Korea remains on the periphery of the international football market,” Chung said. 스포츠 “Unfortunately, our market isn’t big enough to select a coach that could satisfy our fans whenever we want.”Ultimately, I personally feel sorry for coach Hong Myung-bo for having gone through such a challenging process,” Chung added.Throughout the questioning session, Chung repeatedly claimed he didn’t think the KFA had broken any rules in hiring Hong, while also denying rumors that he had preferred one particular candidate over others.
Democratic Party Rep. Lim O-kyeong said she had heard Chung preferred a foreign coach, while others had said Chung wanted Hong from the beginning.”Both of those claims are not true,” Chung said. “In social media, when people write, ‘Chung Mong-gyu thinks this and that,’ it draws tens of thousands of views. So I think some people make up things that aren’t even on my mind, and they end up being fake news in the media.”Chung revealed that he was once asked by Chung Hae-sung, who was initially leading the hiring process as head of the National Teams Committee, whether the president specifically wanted a foreign coach.
“I told him that the committee members should discuss essential elements for our national team and choose the person that they think is the best fit, whether he is a foreigner or a Korean native,” the KFA chief added.Asked by People Power Party Rep. Kim Seung-su if he felt Hong would be able to show his leadership given the contentious circumstances around his hiring, Chung Mong-gyu said it was “too early to tell.””It is quite inappropriate for the process of hiring a coach to be discussed so openly. In the future, whether we hire another Korean coach or bring in a foreign coach, I believe disclosing details of every candidate is not a desirable practice,” Chung said. “If we’ve made mistakes along the way, we will try to address them in the future.”