Reform Party floor leader vows scrutiny of 150 billion won in civic soccer club subsidies, citing cartel concerns

Reform Party floor leader Cheon Ha-ram said Monday that the political world must play its part in reforming the Korea Football Association, calling in particular for scrutiny of public subsidies to civic soccer clubs — an issue he said politicians have long avoided.

Speaking at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly, Cheon said local governments collectively provide around 150 billion won ($97.1 million) a year in subsidies to soccer clubs. "Beyond the simple question of whether tax-funded support is appropriate, we must carefully examine whether positions such as directors and technical advisers at tax-supported civic clubs are a source of cartelism in Korean football," he said.

On the South Korean national team's failure to advance past the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Cheon said the debacle went beyond any individual coach and lay with the Korea Football Association as a whole. He said the resignation of head coach Hong Myung-bo marked "not the end but the beginning" of reform at the association.

"Disasters happen in organizations that value factionalism over ability and are more focused on concealing opaque decision-making than on transparency," Cheon said. "In that sense, the Korea Football Association and the National Election Commission are cut from the same cloth."

He said the association needed thorough self-reflection and reform amounting to a complete overhaul to root out cartelism and factionalism in Korean football. "Korean football must not become an interest group — a cartel — competing to capture positions and money created with taxpayer funds," he said.

Cheon said civic clubs must not become civic organizations parasitic on the political world. He added that he and the Reform Party would simultaneously pursue fundamental improvements at the Korea Football Association and closely examine whether excessive tax support for civic clubs was worsening cartelism in Korean football.

"If that examination confirms a correlation — a cartel — we will make every effort to correct problems including the mismanagement of civic clubs, the divvying up of positions, and excessive budget support," he added.