Former South Korean soccer coach Choi Tae-wook, who led the national team to the round of 16 at last year’s 안전카지노사이트 World Cup in Qatar, has gone on trial for allegedly offering money to professional clubs in exchange for player recruitment.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office’s Criminal Division 9 (Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Hyun-ah) indicted Choi on Wednesday on charges of embezzlement. The former coach is accused of colluding with agent Choi Mo-soo to pay off his student to join the Ansan Greeners.
The case was uncovered during a review of the agent’s alleged fraud case. The case was sparked in 2017 when a college soccer player accused Choi of cheating him out of 20 million won to join a professional team. While investigating the case, prosecutors identified a player business scandal involving Choi, former Ansan president Lee Jong-geol and former coach Lim Jong-heon, and on the same day handed over 10 people to trial.
Lee is accused of receiving a total of 27 million won ($20 million) in cash and luxury watches from Choi in exchange for signing two players from November last year to January this year. Lim also allegedly received 9 million won in exchange for his appointment. Lim was also detained in July for allegedly receiving 45 million won from Choi.
The prosecution has disgorged the profits from the defendants’ crimes and notified the Korean Football Association of the irregularities. The prosecution said, “The defendants should be punished commensurate with their crimes for treating player business as a practice.
Meanwhile, the soccer world is shocked that former coach Choi was included in the recruitment scandal by conspiring to accept money. Choi was a member of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup quarterfinal team and made many appearances for the national team. After retiring from active duty in 2014, Choi worked as a scout for professional clubs, a youth coach, and a national team coach.
Upon learning of the charges, the KFA immediately removed Choi from the Technical Study Group (TSG). The KFA will also decide whether to convene a fairness committee after confirming the charges.