Korean Delegate To Visit FIFA To Explain Player's Actions At Olympics

The Korea Football Association "has buckled down to the task of saving footballer Park Jong-woo from hot water" over his controversial sign at the London Games, according to Chun Sung-woo of the KOREA HERALD. The KFA has sent a senior official to FIFA in Zurich "to explain the incident, rather than submitting a report." KFA officials said that KFA General Secretary Kim Joo-sung "will make the explanation" to FIFA. They added that a direct explanation would be "more effective than submitting a report to clarify Park's actions." In a press release, the KFA said, "The visit may be needed because a written explanation may not be adequate in light of the gravity of the case." The report compiled by the association contains its interview with Park along with photos and video shots of his actions. Its point "is that the act in question was not pre-meditated." Park picked up the Dodko sign from a South Korean fan and carried it around the field. KFA Honorary Chair Chung Mong-joon intends to make separate explanations to FIFA officials informally through "his connections made when he served" as a Vice Chair of FIFA (KOREA HERALD, 8/16).