Citizen Group Accusing Chung Mong-gyu Also Files Complaint Against Klinsmann for Blaming Players

Seomin Minsheng Countermeasures Committee Files Complaint with Football Association Officials
"Criticism of Football Association Redirected to Players as Defamation"

A civic group that had previously filed a complaint against Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), has additionally filed complaints against former national football team coach J?rgen Klinsmann and others. The group alleges that Klinsmann and others defamed the players by blaming the conflict between Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) as the cause of the team's defeat, in an attempt to quell criticism directed at the Football Association.

On the 18th, the civic group, the Committee for the Protection of Ordinary Citizens' Livelihoods (hereafter 'Seominwi'), announced that it had filed complaints with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against former coach Klinsmann, KFA president Chung, full-time vice president Kim Jeong-bae, and technical director Hwang Bo-gwan on charges of defamation and obstruction of business. Seominwi explained the reason for the complaint, stating, "Since the Football Association immediately acknowledged the conflict between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, there is reasonable suspicion that President Chung and the Football Association tried to shift the critical public opinion towards the players."

Former national football team coach J?rgen Klinsmann participated via video call on the 15th at the Korea Football Association in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to evaluate the performance of the 2023 AFC Qatar Asian Cup during the 1st National Team Strengthening Committee meeting of 2024. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

In the complaint, the group claimed, "This constitutes defamation through publications that damage the honor of players including Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, as well as the players who did their best in the Asian Cup and the citizens who cherish and love them, and obstruction of business by force that interferes with the players' careers." They particularly pointed out that the conflict between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in was reported not by domestic media but by British tabloids, which they argue constitutes defamation of the players who gave their best in the Asian Cup and the public.

Earlier, on the 13th, Seominwi had also filed a complaint against President Chung on charges of coercion, obstruction of business, and breach of duty. At that time, the group argued that Chung's appointment of Klinsmann despite ignoring the opinions of association officials constituted obstruction of business by coercion, and his hesitation to dismiss Klinsmann amid public doubts about the coach's qualifications was an act of dereliction of duty. They also stated that if Klinsmann had not been dismissed, the amount to be paid over two and a half years would be $5.5 million (approximately 7.3 billion KRW), with an annual contract salary of $2.2 million (approximately 2.9 billion KRW), and that "if this resulted from President Chung's unilateral salary decision, it constitutes breach of duty."

Seominwi raised their voice, saying, "We want to identify who initiated mutual slander and division among the players and hold them accountable," and demanded, "For the reform and future of the Football Association, President Chung should promptly resign." Jongno Police Station recently received the case of President Chung's complaint from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and has begun reviewing it. The police plan to investigate the complainants soon after reviewing Seominwi's additional complaint.

Meanwhile, former coach Klinsmann stated at the KFA's Strengthening Committee meeting held via video conference on the 15th that the poor performance in the Asian Cup was due to discord among the players. He drew criticism by saying that the poor results were "not due to a lack of tactics but because of conflicts within the squad, such as the physical clash between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in."

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