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S. Korea’s football chief files candidacy for FIFA Executive Committee

February 17, 2015
Jung Mong-kyu (Yonhap)

Jung Mong-kyu (Yonhap)

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL (Yonhap) — Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), has registered his candidacy for a seat on the FIFA Executive Committee, the domestic football governing body said Tuesday.

The KFA said Chung, 53, submitted his registration with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) earlier on Tuesday. The deadline for registration is Feb. 28.

According to the KFA, the AFC president automatically receives a seat on the FIFA Executive Committee as FIFA’s vice president. There are three more seats up for grabs in Asia. They will be filled during the AFC Congress to be held in Bahrain on April 30.

Chung had first announced his intention to run for a seat on the FIFA committee last October, vowing to “explore more ways to enhance the level and marketability of Asian football.”

Chung, chairman and CEO of Hyundai Development Co., has been involved with football for two decades. He served as the owner of three different clubs in the professional circuit K League, starting with Ulsan Hyundai in 1994. Chung was elected the K League commissioner in 2011.

Two years later, Chung became the head of the KFA. On his watch, South Korea won the right to host the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup and captured the gold medal in men’s football at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, ending a 28-year title drought at the continental competition.

The KFA said Chung may be running against the likes of Kozo Tashima, vice president of the Japan Football Association; Worawi Makudi, head of the Football Association of Thailand; Tengku Abdullah, president of the Football Association of Malaysia; and Saud Al Mohannadi, vice president of the Qatar Football Association.

Chung Mong-joon, former KFA honcho, served on the FIFA Executive Committee from 1994 to 2010 as FIFA’s vice president.