South Korean soccer star Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City) has been banned from wearing the Korean flag until he is cleared of illegally filming sex acts.
The Korea Football Association announced on the afternoon of the 28th that it held a meeting with ethics committee chairman Lee Yoon-nam, power enhancement committee chairman Michael Mueller, tournament committee chairman Jung Hae-sung, and vice chairman Choi Young-il, and decided not to select Hwang Ui-jo for the national team until a clear conclusion is reached by the investigative agency.
“We considered that a national athlete is obligated to maintain the honor of the national team with a high degree of morality and responsibility, and in that regard, he or she must manage various aspects of his or her personal life,” Lee Yoon-nam said in a statement.
“We also considered a number of other factors, including concerns about how (the incident) might affect the national team, and concerns about how the national team’s fans might feel if he were to compete for the national team.”
As a result, Klinsmann’s team may have to go to the 2024 Asian Cup in Qatar without Hwang, who is currently playing in the English Championship (second division).
The Asian Cup, which national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann is aiming to win for the first time in 64 years, kicks off on Jan. 12 next year.
Hwang will miss his third major tournament after the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar if he is not cleared by judicial authorities before the final roster is announced.
“In order for Hwang to compete at the Asian Cup, he must receive a ‘no-case disposition’ from the investigative agency by then,” said an official from the KFA.
Prior to the meeting, the FIFA explained the situation to Klinsmann.
Klinsmann said he “fully understands the situation and will respect the decision of the FIFA,” according to the organization.
If he is charged and goes to trial, he could be banned from wearing the flag forever.
In the past, national team players have been severely disciplined by the KFA for off-field reasons, including Jang Hyun-soo, who was banned from the national team for life and fined 30 million won in 2018 for falsifying documents for preferential military service.
If it turns out that the sex video in question was “secretly” filmed by Hwang Ui-jo, it is very difficult to believe that the penalty would be any lighter than Jang Hyun-soo’s.
“Since the investigation is ongoing and (the KFA) does not have the authority to investigate the facts, we cannot make a clear decision on discipline,” Lee said, adding, “We have not started the disciplinary deliberations.”
Hwang is under police investigation for allegedly filming a sexual partner (using a camera under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act).
The case began in June when Ms. A, posing as Hwang’s ex-girlfriend, posted photos and videos of Hwang having sex on Instagram.
After his phone was stolen in November last year, Hwang filed a police complaint against A, claiming that he had been receiving threatening messages from her since May this year, including “I will spread (the photos),” “Look forward to it,” and “It will be fun when it’s released.
Despite the controversy, Hwang continued to be called up by Klinsmann and played in all six A matches in September, October, and November.
Public opinion worsened when it became known that Hwang had been questioned by the police on Nov. 16 after a domestic match against Singapore on Nov. 18 as a suspect, but he was subbed in for the away match against China on Nov. 21.
It was also shocking when it was confirmed that Ms. A, who was detained by the police on suspicion of distributing videos under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, was not Hwang’s ‘ex-girlfriend’ but his ‘prisoner’.
Hwang Ui-jo, who is currently playing in England, scored his second goal of the season in a home game on the 26th of this month, putting his finger to his lips in a gesture that seemed to say ‘be quiet’, which caused the negative public opinion to reach its peak.
Hwang’s camp claims that the video was taken in agreement with the victim. 토토사이트