The ridiculous administrative omission by Gwangju FC and the Korea Football Association (KFA) nearly shook the trust of the entire league. Gwangju, which failed to recognize it had received a ban on player registration, and KFA, which did not properly share the information, are both not free from responsibility. While the situation seems to be coming to a close, the final judgment rests with FIFA.

The incident stemmed from the recruitment process of foreign striker Asani. Gwangju failed to make a payment of $3,000 in solidarity contribution that arose when bringing in Asani in 2023. This amount is the expense that should be paid to the club or academy the player belonged to from ages 12 to 23, according to the obligatory clause set by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Gwangju attempted to make the payment multiple times since last August. Although they completed the transfer to the account, it was rejected due to a decimal point discrepancy, and re-sending was unsuccessful. Then, in September, the person in charge of the task, Mr. A, went on leave, leaving a gap in the follow-up process. Subsequently, FIFA imposed a ban on player registration and communicated the notice to KFA.

The problem started here. Although KFA forwarded the disciplinary letter received from FIFA to Gwangju via email, the person in charge was still on leave, and the email was not even checked. Later, Gwangju completed player recruitment and registration normally without recognizing the sanction, and those players participated in not only K League 1 but also the Korea Cup and the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) stage.

This situation became known to the public long after. KFA belatedly acknowledged the mistake and on the 16th officially stated, "We deeply apologize for the confusion caused by the administrative procedural shortcomings," effectively admitting the mistake. However, they indicated that they would not impose sanctions on Gwangju, citing the absence of intent.

However, the situation is not simple. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) typically receives disciplinary letters from FIFA through the association. This time, even that procedure was omitted. The league explained, "We did not recognize it because the letter did not come to us. We confirmed with Gwangju, but received a response that there were no issues." As a result, Gwangju, unaware that it was subject to sanctions, has fielded ‘ineligible players’ according to the regulations.

Some clubs have reportedly insisted that the results of the matches participated by Gwangju should be processed as forfeits. However, according to Article 33, Section 2 of the K League regulations, if there is no objection from the opposing team within 48 hours after the match ends, the result remains unchanged. Following this clause, the likelihood of overturning results from already played league matches is low.

Nevertheless, Gwangju's fault does not stop at administrative omissions. They failed to internally recognize the sanction and continued to operate the team normally. The KFA, which should have monitored this issue from start to finish, essentially passed the responsibility with a single email.

Currently, the most crucial variable is FIFA's interpretation. The league is also postponing its final judgment and is reviewing similar overseas cases. An official noted, "As of now, we cannot definitively determine the eligibility of the players. We are approaching it cautiously until FIFA's official judgment is released."

Gwangju has belatedly paid the fines and the solidarity contribution again. According to officials, "We sent back the related amount along with the fine and requested confirmation of the payment completion to FIFA. We are currently waiting for a reply." The fine imposed this time amounts to 5,000 Swiss francs, nearly double the solidarity contribution that should have been initially paid.

The level of punishment Gwangju may face going forward could vary depending on the judgments of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). While KFA has stated there will be no sanctions for the domestic league, international organizations can impose separate penalties.

KFA also claims it is not taking this matter lightly. The association explained, "We are inquiring with FIFA and AFC, emphasizing Gwangju's unintentional mistake. We plan to actively support additional explanatory documents."

However, voices are growing that both the association and the club need fundamental checks due to errors in basic procedures such as transmitting sanctions, confirming documents, and system integration, which are fundamental to sports administration.

KFA stated, "In the future, we will reorganize the cooperation structure with the professional league and clubs to prevent similar mistakes from recurring. We will strive to establish procedures and standards to maintain the trust of the league," but trust has already been undermined.

[Photo] Provided by the league.

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