Oversight Sparks Criticism as Governing Body Apologizes for Rule Violation

Courtesy of Seongnam FC

Amid mounting criticism, the Korean football governing body, the Korea Football Association (KFA), made the decision on Tuesday to drop defender Lee Sang-min from the men's Asian Games squad due to his past conviction for drunk driving.

The KFA publicly acknowledged and apologized for its oversight in selecting Lee as part of the squad last Friday, a decision that violated the association's own set of rules.

Lee was arrested in May 2020 for driving under the influence of alcohol while playing for Chungnam Asan in the second-tier K League 2. Three months later, on August 5, he was fined 5 million won ($3,950). According to the KFA's regulations on national team operations, players who have been fined at least 5 million won for drunk driving or related offenses are ineligible for selection in any national team for a minimum period of three years.

Consequently, Lee is not eligible for selection to any Korean national team until August 4. However, Hwang Sun-hong, the head coach of the Asian Games team, initially called up the 23-year-old despite his ineligibility.

In 2020, Lee had also faced a 15-match suspension from the K League, but still managed to participate in six matches for the under-23 national team between October 2021 and June 2023. He currently plays for Seongnam FC, also in the K League 2.

"We humbly acknowledge that we selected a player against our own rules on national team operations," the KFA stated in a released statement. "We vow to ensure that similar instances will not be repeated."

Addressing the previous selections of Lee to the U-23 teams despite his court fine and league suspension, the KFA admitted, "It was challenging to stay updated on news regarding leagues and players outside of the K League 1 and those on the senior national team."

"We failed to adequately review our rules when we initially selected him in 2021," the KFA added. "We must acknowledge our inadequate handling of the situation."

Hwang also issued an apology through the KFA and expressed a commitment to exercise greater diligence in the player selection process.

Korea will aim to secure their third consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, scheduled for this fall.

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