What exactly was revealed in the report?

The 2016 report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shows that the KFA used official cards to pay for sexual services for foreign referees at massage parlors.

Which countries did the referees who received the services come from?

Around ten referees and coordinators came from Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Bahrain, and Uzbekistan.

How has the KFA responded to these allegations?

Former KFA officials stated that such practices were 'common at the time,' but the federation is currently under investigation for other scandals as well.

Football

Sexual Services for Referees: Scandal Rocks South Korean Football Association

Q: Which matches do these allegations relate to?

They relate to seven qualifying matches for the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

N.G. · Prije 1h | 2 min

A decade-old report reveals that the KFA paid for 'happy ending massages' for referees from multiple countries to officiate Olympic and World Cup qualifiers.

Summary

The South Korean Football Association (KFA) paid for sexual services for foreign referees from 2011 to 2012.
The scandal was revealed based on a government report from 2016 that has only now been made public.
The services were used for referees who officiated qualifying matches for the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup.
The KFA is already under investigation for the suspicious appointment of a former head coach, and the federation's offices were raided by police.

The South Korean Football Association (KFA) is at the center of a major scandal after it was revealed that it paid for sexual services for foreign referees. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing a decade-old report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this practice occurred between March 2011 and March 2012.

The report, compiled in 2016 but not previously made public, details how the KFA used corporate credit cards to fund sexual entertainment. Services were provided at massage parlors and other adult establishments in Seoul and other cities where South Korean national team matches were played.

Olympic and World Cup Qualifiers Under Suspicion

This involved seven qualifying matches for the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. During that period, the South Korean national team recorded five wins and two draws. Yonhap reports that approximately ten referees and coordinators from Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Bahrain, and Uzbekistan used these services.

Former KFA officials told the JTBC television network that such practices were "common at the time," adding that some referees even specifically requested this type of service. Prostitution is illegal in South Korea, and the statutes of international football federations strictly prohibit any form of financial compensation for referees.

Political Pressure and Investigations

This scandal comes at a time when the KFA is already under intense political pressure. On Thursday, the federation's offices were searched by authorities as part of an investigation related to the appointment of Hong Myung-bo, the former head coach of the men's national team. Police seized documents believed to be crucial in determining whether there was any illegal influence or obstruction by KFA officials, including former president Chung Mong-gyu.