South Korean police have raided the Korea Football Association offices in Seoul and Cheonan on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
The raid is part of an ongoing probe into alleged irregularities and unfair interference in the 2024 hiring of former national team coach Hong Myung-bo.
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Police conducted “search and seizure operations” at the Korea Football Association (KFA) offices, probing allegations of “obstruction of business” in the recruitment of former coach Hong Myung-bo, a police spokesman told AFP.
The 57-year-old Hong resigned in June after South Korea were knocked out at the group stage of the 48-team showpiece in the United States, Mexico and Canada following a shock 1-0 defeat to South Africa.
Questions were already dogging the Korean Football Association over the 2024 appointment of Hong, but scrutiny has intensified since the team failed to make the last-32 knockout stage.
Seoul police said financial crimes investigators were “looking into whether there were charges of obstruction of business during the appointment of Hong Myung-bo”, a spokesman told AFP.
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Local media reported authorities are investigating whether senior KFA officials improperly intervened in Hong’s appointment, allegedly in violation of internal rules.
South Korea’s media had labelled the 2026 World Cup squad a “golden generation” and there were high hopes for a team featuring former Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in.
