The 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar has come under fire after it was revealed that players and officials of the Korean Football Association played cards for casino chips. In particular, the KFA’s attempts to minimize and downplay the incident instead of apologizing and reflecting on it have added fuel to the controversy.
According to the KFA’s investigation on Thursday, Team A manager, an association employee, played card games with some players during a training camp in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January 3-10 ahead of the Asian Cup. 홀덤사이트 He used casino chips that he brought from South Korea, and some of the players lost between 40,000 and 50,000 won.
The problem is the attitude of the federation. The federation downplayed card games using casino chips as “strictly different from gambling activities,” stating that “there are many cases where players make small bets on the training field, such as a bet on hitting the goal, or play board games or PlayStation in the break room,” and that it was “inappropriate behavior” even though it was discovered that an association employee played cards with players. It seems to lack a sense of the problem of playing for money while representing your country.
He also made a gesture to shift the blame to the employee rather than the association. The current head coach of Team A was removed from his position by the personnel committee on March 20 after an internal complaint. “The staff violated the coach’s internal guidelines to minimize contact with the players,” the statement said, adding, “It is regrettable that the staff was present in a space that is only for the players.” There was no apology or remorse from the federation, which is responsible for managing the staff.
An association that has been stuck in place for a year… “A disaster waiting to happen”
The reaction in the soccer world is that the federation’s inaction was a foregone conclusion. Looking back at the past year, it’s strange that this didn’t happen.
Last year, the federation issued a surprise amnesty to 100 soccer players, including those involved in match-fixing, only to reverse the decision and hang its head in shame two days later. “We failed to take into account the stricter moral standards and higher expectations of fans,” said Chung Mong-kyu, the federation’s president at the time, “and we will humbly accept the criticism and take it as an opportunity to become a better organization.” The vice presidents and board members have since resigned en masse in an effort to clean up the mess and take responsibility, but the most important reforms have not been enacted.
“Things that have been festering for a long time are bursting out here and there, and the time between incidents is getting shorter and shorter,” said a soccer insider. “It’s the result of the association not taking any measures for a year. Isn’t it a foreshadowed disaster?” An official from the association also said, “The incidents were caused by a combination of work, discipline, unclear regulations, and a lack of duty, responsibility, and a sense of mission.” “We need to tighten up the loose ends of the structure and make concrete reforms now,” he said.