Korea Football Park in Ipjang-myeon, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, where police conducted a search and seizure of the Korea Football Association on Friday. [Yonhap]
Korea Football Park in Ipjang-myeon, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, where police conducted a search and seizure of the Korea Football Association on Friday. [Yonhap]

The China Football Association said it investigated allegations that its officials received sexual entertainment from Korea Football Association officials but found insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims.

The China Football Association said Sunday through social media that it had "swiftly formed an investigation team" after some media outlets reported allegations that KFA officials had provided "inappropriate entertainment" to Chinese football officials. "There is no evidence to prove that the Korea Football Association provided 'inappropriate entertainment' to China Football Association officials," it said.

The association said it would "continue to monitor developments" and would "launch a new investigation if new facts or leads emerge."

According to a document titled "Summary of Investigation Results into Korea Football Association Misconduct," released by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jin Seon-mi, a 2016 audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism found that the KFA had provided sexual entertainment to more than 10 foreign referees and match officials across seven matches — three World Cup and Olympic qualifying matches and four friendly matches held between 2011 and 2012.

The KFA was found to have provided sexual services at a massage parlor to three China Football Association officials who visited South Korea in January 2012 for referee exchange purposes. Those targeted included the CFA's head of the referees bureau, a referee accounting officer and a referee administrator. The CFA launched an investigation into its own officials on Wednesday after reviewing South Korean media reports. However, the CFA did not disclose the identities of those investigated, the methods used or the specific details of the probe.

Following the 2016 audit, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism referred the case to police with three months remaining on the statute of limitations for the charge of arranging prostitution — but police did not immediately open an investigation, sources said. Police began their probe only after the statute of limitations on that charge had expired, ultimately forwarding the case with a recommendation against indictment on charges of breach of trust only.


park.jiyeong@heraldcorp.com