Candidate questions transparency in KFA president election

Huh Jung-moo, a candidate for the upcoming election for Korea Football Association (KFA) president, questioned the transparency and fairness of the election management process Friday.

Huh, former head coach of the South Korean men’s national team, is running against the current KFA leader Chung Mong-gyu, who is pursuing his fourth term, and Shin Moon-sun, a former player and a television commentator, in the election scheduled for next Wednesday.

At a press conference Friday, Huh said he suspected the KFA was trying to hide something by refusing to identify members of the election management committee, which he said was formed with Chung at the helm of the KFA.

Per KFA rules, at least two-thirds of the eight-member election committee must be independent figures not affiliated with the football body, such as those from academics or media.

“They have not revealed any names, and it makes you wonder what they’re so afraid of or ashamed of,” Huh said at the press conference held at the KFA House in Seoul. “Unless those members are identified, there is no way to find out if the election committee has been put together properly. How can we expect fairness and transparency if people overseeing the election can’t even identify themselves?

“I entered this race knowing the playing field was already tilted,” Huh continued. “But the degree to which the KFA and its election management committee have been unfair and opaque is beyond expectations.”

On New Year’s Eve, Huh announced he had filed for a court injunction to halt the election over the KFA’s refusal to allow online or early voting for at least some members of the 173-person electoral college.

Huh had earlier asked the KFA to arrange early voting or online voting for professional club coaches and players with votes before they depart for overseas training camps in early January. Citing practices by FIFA on its elections for president and senior executives, the KFA said it will not deviate from the conventional, offline voting. The KFA also said it would be difficult to ensure the privacy and secrecy of votes in online balloting.

The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to rule on Huh’s injunction application Monday, two days before the election.

Huh said he will not drop out of the election even if the court doesn’t cite his injunction because it was never his intention to avoid the battle.

“When I filed for the injunction, I focused on letting more people know what was really happening. And I think I’ve already accomplished that goal,” Huh said. “In football, you don’t stop playing just because the referee is biased or the playing field is in bad condition. I will finish this race.”

Huh also pointed out the KFA had disallowed 21 members of the original 194-deep electoral college from voting because they hadn’t signed a privacy consent form. Huh said the excluded group includes one club head coach and 17 active players.

Huh said they should have been asked to sign their forms before the draw for the electoral college took place, instead of being asked to do so at the last minute. He said voters from regional football associations were asked to sign those forms on Nov. 29.

“I think the election committee has the obligation to let people know why and how the size of the electoral college has been reduced,” Huh said. “I have suspicions that the KFA tried to exclude a particular group of voters intentionally.”

Chung is widely regarded as the favorite, with Huh and Shin expected to split votes among anti-Chung voters. Huh said he remained “open” to the idea of consolidating candidacies with Shin.

“I believe he has his areas of expertise, such as marketing,” Huh said. “We still have some time left. I think the unification of our candidacies is certainly possible if we can get on the same page for the good of South Korean football.”

Huh also laid out a series of campaign pledges, including pushing South Korea into the top 10 in the men’s FIFA rankings, forming a union for referees to help improve their work conditions, and co-hosting the 2031 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup with North Korea.