[Column] The President Doing 'Ball Trapping' for the First Time Ever

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] "It's my first time."

According to football officials, President Yoon Suk-yeol is the first president ever to perform ball trapping. Former presidents such as Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, and Roh Moo-hyun kicked off at official events but never performed ball trapping. Former President Moon Jae-in, who enjoyed playing football as a center half (midfielder) during his school days, only threw the first pitch at a baseball stadium.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is doing a vaulting trap at the welcome dinner for the national soccer team held at the Blue House State Guest House on the 8th. 2022.12.8 [Provided by the Presidential Office] [Image source=Yonhap News]

The ball trapping President Yoon demonstrated at the dinner with the Qatar World Cup national team players on the 8th was eye-catching, especially because his posture was not bad. He received the ball thrown by Lee Kang-in with his left knee and tried to control the falling ball with his foot. It was a posture that usually comes after kicking the ball several times. A football veteran praised President Yoon's trapping skills, saying, "(Lee) Kang-in threw the ball a bit high," acknowledging the difficulty of the ball he caught.

More surprising than the ball trapping itself is President Yoon's awareness of the issue. At the dinner on the 8th and the Cabinet meeting on the 13th, President Yoon pointed out, "We need to check whether a system has been established to ensure that players receive fair compensation." He emphasized the need to verify whether the distribution of dividends received from FIFA when participating in the World Cup is conducted fairly.

Korean football has qualified for the World Cup finals 10 consecutive times up to this Qatar tournament, but the distribution of dividends has always been opaque. Although the Korea Football Association gave players a certain amount of prize money, it was never clearly disclosed whether this prize money came from the dividends, or what proportion of the dividends the association and players shared.

Surprised by President Yoon's message, the Football Association detailed the use of dividends on the 12th. This announcement is very unusual compared to previous tournaments. Along with the excellent achievement of reaching the round of 16 in an away game, voices demanding change in the football community have grown louder. The Football Association has begun to move to increase transparency and fairness in the process of appointing the national team head coach. It is time to establish a proper system for prize money and dividend distribution after participating in international competitions such as the World Cup and to make necessary changes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.