Appellate court upholds halt on penalty demand for football chief

A court of appeals has upheld an earlier ruling to halt the execution of the sports ministry’s demand to penalize the country’s top football official.

Per judiciary sources Tuesday, the Seoul High Court dismissed an appeal from the sports ministry to overturn the Feb. 11 ruling by the Seoul Administrative Court, which granted a request from the Korea Football Association (KFA) to put the brakes on the ministry’s drive to discipline KFA President Chung Mong-gyu.

The ministry launched an extensive probe last summer in light of the KFA’s controversial hiring of Hong Myung-bo as the new head coach of the men’s national team. In announcing the results of its audit in November, the ministry demanded at least the suspension of Chung, citing a number of rules violations and other irregularities.

The KFA had its appeal of the ruling rejected by the ministry in January, which prompted the football body to take the matter to court.

The administrative court’s ruling allowed Chung to maintain his eligibility for the KFA presidential election on Feb. 26. Chung secured his fourth term in a landslide victory over two rival candidates.

The KFA has filed a separate suit to cancel the ministry’s penalty demand altogether, and the first hearing on that case is scheduled for June 12.

A sports ministry official said Tuesday the ministry will appeal the Seoul High Court’s ruling.