The Ansan soccer team is under investigation by the prosecution over the back-money issue of scouting players. Former manager Lim Jong-heon and former manager Lim’s agent, Mr. Choi, were arrested. Arrest warrants were recently requested for former CEO Lee Mo and former power reinforcement team leader Bae Mo. Prosecutors said, “We will look into whether the soccer team systematically committed corruption.”
The basis for requesting arrest warrants for Mr. Lee and Mr. Bae is that they received money and valuables in return for letting two players join Ansan. Among the two players, the story of Mr. A is reconstructed based on the results of the prosecution’s investigation.
Mr. A handed over the money to his agent Mr. Choi. Mr. Choi gave cash and valuables to the CEO and the head of the power reinforcement team. However, for some reason, Mr. A could not go to Ansan this season. He instead went to a lower league club and is still there today. There are rumors that there is a conditional agreement or contract in which Mr. A will go to Ansan next year. It means that the Ansan club has decided to accept Mr. A next year because it is difficult to get Mr. A right away. Mr. A, his parents, and the star coach who asked the agent to join Mr. A were also recently investigated by the prosecution.
It is very unusual to sign a contract in advance to accept a player for the next season. Of course, a very good player, a large player who can be taken away by another club can do that. However, Mr. A is not that big. There is no choice but to raise suspicions about why Ansan wrote an agreement or a back contract on the premise of joining next year. While searching and confiscating the agent, the prosecution found a bundle of backside contracts. Like Mr. A, players who decided to go to Ansan next year and wrote an agreement or contract are likely to have included a back contract. Prior agreements and backside contracts are impossible without collusion between high-ranking officials who have the right to decide.
Ansan employees are alert. This is because the director was arrested as the prosecution’s investigation expanded, and the CEO and team leader were in danger of being arrested additionally. Investigations into those involved are still ongoing. Currently, there are only a lot of people from a specific school in Ansan’s jurisdiction in the Ansan team. They are assigned to the secretariat and youth teams, and some recently expressed their appreciation to the club.
Ansan is not a windy club. Controversy arose when a recording of a conversation between high-ranking officials of the club was leaked and reported to the media. It is not yesterday or today that suspicions involving city council members and influential local figures were raised in the process of recruiting players. Ansan was found to have signed a behind-the-scenes agreement in the past and was also punished by the Professional Football Federation. Currently, the Ansan club has sons of star leaders and famous pop culture figures.안전놀이터
Ansan City has declared that it will carry out a thorough audit, but it is only words. Right now, it seems that the prosecution is only looking at it. Ansan Mayor Lee Min-geun, the owner of the club, who is responsible for appointing high-ranking members of the club, has nothing to say. Even in the situation where coaches and CEOs are arrested one after another, the Professional Football Federation and the Korea Football Association are only doing ‘across the river’.