K-League 2 Gimpo FC decided to dismiss the coaches who were identified as perpetrators a year after a teenager in the youth team made an extreme choice.
Seo Young-gil, CEO of Gimpo FC, who was criticized for the delay in dismissing his coaching staff, also expressed his intention to resign, saying that he was acutely aware of his responsibility.
CEO Seo held a press conference at the club’s office in Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do on the 6th and said, “Today, the personnel committee decided to dismiss all three people, including the manager and coach who submitted their resignations and the coach who did not submit them.”
“At the time of extending the contract last year, if the management of the youth soccer team caused controversy or was subject to social criticism due to civil or criminal liability, or if the head of the team recognized it as necessary, it was an attachment to the contract that dismissal was possible. “he explained.
The director of the Gimpo FC youth soccer team and two coaches were booked without detention on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act the day before Seo’s announcement. They are accused of abusing teenager A from the same team with verbal abuse and corporal punishment.
Group A made an extreme choice at a dormitory building in Masan-dong, Gimpo-si on April 27 last year at 2 am.
The five-page A4 note left through social media contained claims that there were verbal abuse from leaders and bullying from colleagues.
In addition to the coaching staff, the club decided to let six youth players who were identified as bullying perpetrators remain on the team without any additional punishment.
Regarding the decision to remain, CEO Seo explained that the decision was made after the education authorities, who had been looking into the circumstances of the “school violence,” had made a decision to acquit these players.
On the other hand, the Gimpo club officially made a clear position on the course of the ‘perpetrator’ only one year after the incident occurred.
The bereaved families and civic groups demanded prompt disciplinary action, but the club was criticized for renewing contracts with the leaders in question last year without any action.
CEO Seo announced his intention to resign, saying that he was responsible for causing social controversy.
CEO Seo announced, “Please leave all criticism and rebuke only to me. I will step down as CEO with an apologetic heart.”
When asked if the intention of Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo, the club’s chairman, was reflected, he said, “No. I have all the authority to operate the foundation.”
The Gimpo side is in the position that it was difficult to preemptively punish because the truth was not found through investigative agencies. It is said that they tried to get the official information from the facts.
CEO Seo said, “I have strictly watched the investigation by the Sports Ethics Center and the police, which have the authority to investigate.” do,” he said.
He went on to emphasize that “the club could not confirm the fact of direct abuse through any institution,” and that these institutions promised to inform them of the results by August of last year at the latest.
The Sports Ethics Center started an investigation in May of last year, right after the incident, but it was early this year, eight months later, that the final results were announced.
The center judged that the leaders and some fellow players were responsible for the death of Team A, and made a final decision to ‘request disciplinary action’ against them.
In this regard, the center said that the period had to be lengthened because there were few investigators and many references, and there was no rule that the results had to be explained directly to the club.
It is explained that it is ‘outside the authority’ except for sending the investigation results to the upper institution, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Civic groups have raised their voices saying that the ‘passive’ practice in which organizations such as companies hurriedly initiate internal disciplinary measures after receiving a final judgment from an external institution such as a court has been repeated in this case.
Even at this meeting, which was supposed to be a resignation conference, CEO Seo implied that he could not agree with this point.
CEO Seo said, “I have said that it is very difficult for a foundation or public institution like us to see if the investigation can be delayed when the child died.” We were in a position to wait for the deadline, and we had no choice but to be cautious because there were 6 children involved in school violence.”
He also said that it is difficult for the club to step forward on its own regarding follow-up measures such as full-scale reinvestigation.안전놀이터
CEO Seo replied, “We can never investigate. We believe that the judicial authorities will make a clear judgment. I don’t think we will investigate.”
The Korea Football Association has also initiated disciplinary procedures against these leaders.
It is expected that it will take some time for the final result to come out as the association is considering the possibility of a court battle, such as a disciplinary invalidation lawsuit.