K-League Reconsiders Making Player Salaries Public Following Opposition From Clubs

The K-League's plans to disclose players’ annual salaries in the country's top football league "may not come into effect next season as it has run into opposition from some clubs," according to Jung Min-ho of the KOREA TIMES. Club Suwon Samsung Bluewings PR Dir Choi Won-chang said, "The K-League insists that the overall personnel expenses will be reduced if the players’ annual salaries are revealed. But we believe the result is most likely to be the opposite. As the new system will allow players to compare their salaries with one another, the clubs probably will have to pay more to keep hold of the league’s top talent." At a Sept. 11 board of directors meeting, the K-League announced its decision "to disclose players’ salaries for transparent fiscal operations and argued the fans have the right to know." However, the plan has met opposition from some teams including the Bluewings and the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors "who question its financial benefits." Choi said, "Aside from a few countries such as the U.S. and Australia, most clubs in Europe and Asia do not reveal players’ salaries with concerns it might lead their league to become stagnant because of a talent drain" (KOREA TIMES, 9/19).