Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association. Yonhap News
Police have launched an investigation into Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu over allegations that the association demanded excessive deposits from Ddrive, the organizer of the 2025 FC Barcelona Asia Tour, during the hosting process.
The Seoul Jongno Police Station said Wednesday that it had questioned an official from the Civic Measures Committee for the People’s Livelihood as a complainant on Monday. The civic group filed a complaint against three association officials, including Chung, on charges of obstruction of business and occupational embezzlement, alleging that they demanded excessive deposits from Ddrive during the FC Barcelona Asia Tour negotiations last year, thereby disrupting the project.
The committee claimed that the association demanded a deposit of 5 billion won ($3.7 million), equivalent to about 30 percent of expected ticket revenue for the international friendly match, and that the process resulted in provisional seizures against not only Ddrive but also its CEO Ham Seul personally. Ddrive is a domestic promoter that hosted the Korea match after signing an Asia business contract with FC Barcelona in 2024.
Separately, the civic group has also filed a complaint against Chung on charges of occupational breach of trust in connection with the appointment of former national football team coach Jürgen Klinsmann. The committee argues that Chung’s appointment of Klinsmann while ignoring the opinions of association officials constitutes obstruction of business through coercion.