Beleaguered football chief Chung Mong-gyu to go for 4th term

Chung Mong-gyu, the president of Korea Football Association, answers a question from a lawmaker during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly in Seoul, Oct. 24. Yonhap The incumbent national football chief Chung Mong-gyu has decided to go for his fourth term, officials said Thursday, as he plans to subject himself to an external review of his reelection bid.

According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), Chung will ask the Commission for Fair Play in Sport at the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) next Monday to review his application to run for a fourth term as head of the national football governing body. Per KSOC regulations, heads of national sports federations seeking reelection beyond the second term must be approved by the fair play commission. The commission will review Chung's bid based on his contributions to the KFA over the years, Korea's performances at international events on his watch, among other criteria.



Chung first grabbed the KFA's reins in 2013. The election is scheduled for Jan. 8 next year and candidates must be registered during a three-day window beginning on Christmas Day.

If the KSOC commission gives Chung the go-ahead sign, Chung is expected to formally announce his bid for a fourth term around Dec. 25. Chung has been under immense pressure to resign in recent months, as he has been dealing with criticism stemming from what detractors say were unfair and opaque processes to hire the past two men's national team head coaches, Jurgen Klinsmann and Hong Myung-bo.

The controversy surrounding the circumstances leading to Hong's appointment in July prompted the sports ministry to launch an investigation into the KFA's operations. In announcing its final findings of the probe on Nov. 5, the ministry demanded suspension of Chung from his duties.

The KFA has not taken any disciplinary action on Chung and instead plans to appeal the ministry's findings. When asking the KSOC's commission for a review of his candidacy, Chung also plans to resign as KFA's president in order to run for the election. An incumbent head must step down 50 days before the start of a new term if he wanted to go for a reelection.

The term for the next president starts Jan. 22, 2025. Earlier this week, former men's national team head coach Huh Jung-moo announced he will run for KFA president.

(Yonhap).