The Japan Football Association is reportedly probing its own referees in relation to the allegations that Korea’s soccer association paid for sexual services for foreign referees
Police depart from the Korea Football Association’s headquarters in Seoul’s Jongno District on Aug. 6, 2026, after raiding the association’s offices over allegedly paying for sexual services for several referees in 2011 and 2012. (Yonhap)
The scandal surrounding the Korea Football Association’s use of sexual services to sway referees has spilled over to Japan.Japan’s Kyodo News reported Sunday that the Japan Football Association is probing its own referees in connection with this issue. Its investigation into four Japanese referees seeks to confirm whether they received sexual favors in Korea. The results will be announced after the findings are confirmed.The report said foreign referees who worked in seven matches, including FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Korea in 2011 and 2012, were implicated. Two of the four Japanese referees who officiated a third-round Asian qualifier between Korea and Kuwait for the World Cup are alleged to have received sexual favors.On Friday, Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea released a report on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s probe into the KFA on this matter. The report said records of the Korea-Kuwait qualifier in February 2012 mentioned that two of the four referees visited a massage parlor in Seoul’s Gangnam District and that the KFA paid 500,000 won for them using corporate credit cards.The two Japanese referees mentioned in the Kyodo report refer to these individuals. Korea beat Kuwait in that game, 2-0.By Hong Seock-jae, Tokyo correspondentPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
