Football body to appeal court ruling backing sports ministry's demand for discipline on its leader

The national football governing body announced Wednesday it will appeal a recent court ruling backing the sports ministry's demand for disciplinary action against its leader.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it reached that decision during its board of directors meeting held earlier in the day.

"Following an in-depth discussion, we decided we would need a judgment from a higher court in terms of fact-finding and legal interpretation," the KFA said in a statement.

On April 23, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled that the sports ministry's demand for disciplinary action against KFA President Chung Mong-gyu was justified and fell within the scope of its permissible discretion.

The ministry first demanded the KFA penalize Chung and other senior executives over a series of irregularities uncovered during the ministry's audit in 2024.

The ministry raised issues with the controversial hiring of Hong Myung-bo as head coach of the men's national team, among others.

The KFA won a court injunction to suspend the disciplinary demand, and it allowed Chung to win his fourth term as KFA president in February last year.

The ministry again urged the KFA to take action last week, but the KFA instead chose to extend the court battle.

KFA Vice President Lee Yong-soo, who presided over the board meeting in Chung's absence, insisted that the football body still "humbly accepted" the court's ruling and is aware of its "sense of responsibility" to answer demands from football fans.

"However, our decision to appeal this ruling is not intended to waste time, nor are we trying to use the upcoming FIFA World Cup as our shield," Lee said. "We've made this decision after a painstaking process so that we could receive an additional judgment with the scope of a legal process."

The KFA said it will continue to try to improve its administrative transparency while also providing the best possible support for the men's national team ahead of the June 11-July 19 World Cup.

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