FIFA lifts registration ban on Gwangju FC after solidarity fee payment

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Thursday it has received notification from FIFA that proceedings regarding a registration ban on Gwangju FC have concluded.

According to the KFA, FIFA confirmed receipt of US$3,000 from the local club for solidarity contributions related to their signing of forward Jasir Asani from Albania, immediately lifting the ban on the club.

FIFA had imposed the ban on the K League 1 club on Dec. 17, 2024, after Gwangju FC failed to pay the solidarity fee, which is distributed to a player’s former clubs for development between the ages of 12 and 23.

Gwangju FC said the payment failure occurred because an employee in charge went on leave in September 2024 without sharing the necessary information with coworkers. The club also said they were unaware of the ban until recently because the KFA had forwarded a FIFA email detailing the penalty to the employee on leave and it wasn’t immediately shared with other team staff.

Also, the Korea Professional Football League (K League) was not made aware of the ban, either, because the KFA had not cc’d the FIFA email to the K League, according to a league official.

While the issue has now been resolved, the KFA said it “humbly accepts” the blame from other K League clubs regarding the administrative oversight. It said it will work to establish a system to prevent such errors from recurring, enhance monitoring of relevant procedures and ensure the stable operations of the K League.

FIFA established “Clearing House” in October 2018 to centralize and automate payments between related clubs and to promote financial transparency, and it began its operations in November 2022.