Nat’l football chief, head coach to testify before parliament on hiring controversy

Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu and men’s national team head coach Hong Myung-bo will both testify before a parliamentary committee this week, with lawmakers expected to grill them about the controversial appointment of the latter in July.

Chung and Hong will be among the witnesses summoned by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly for its questioning session scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Lee Lim-saeng, the KFA’s technical director, and Chung Hae-sung, ex-head of the National Teams Committee at the KFA, will also stand before the committee. Chung had been in charge of the coaching hiring process before abruptly resigning at the end of June, which led to Lee being thrust into the lead role.

Park Joo-ho, a former national team midfielder who served on the National Teams Committee, will be another witness. Shortly after Hong’s hiring, Park uploaded a viral YouTube video in which he lashed out at the KFA’s lack of transparency and fairness in its coaching search while providing a peek into the inner workings of the committee.

Led by Democratic Party Rep. Chun Jae-soo, the parliamentary committee is expected to press the witnesses on the process that led to Hong’s hiring a little over two months ago. People Power Party Rep. Jin Jong-oh, a four-time Olympic shooting gold medalist, said earlier this month he had received tips from anonymous sources regarding the KFA’s unfair hiring process and that he had evidence to back such claims.

The KFA began its coaching search in February after firing Jurgen Klinsmann in light of South Korea’s semifinal loss at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup. Over the next five or so months, the KFA interviewed and negotiated with several foreign coaches.

Along the way, Hong publicly rejected the KFA’s overtures and even criticized the federation for its shoddy administration. But after a hastily arranged meeting with Lee in late June, Hong changed his mind and accepted the job.

The KFA faced immediate backlash for skipping a proper vetting process to hire Hong, who wasn’t asked to make a presentation on his tactical philosophy or sit for a lengthy interview as foreign-born candidates had. Critics of the decision also claimed the KFA, under time pressure, didn’t so much hire Hong as it pleaded with him to take the reins after failing to reach a deal with other, more accomplished coaches.

Earlier this month, a football agent claimed on social media that French tactician Herve Renard, former head coach for Zambia, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, had accepted all the conditions of a KFA offer, but the association rejected Renard and hired Hong for more money.

Disgruntled South Korean fans booed Hong before, during and after his first match in charge, a World Cup qualifier against Palestine in Seoul on Sept. 5. Fans attending the match also brought banners calling for Chung Mong-gyu’s resignation and chanted, “Chung Mong-gyu, get out!” several times throughout the match.