SKorea files complaint against AFC chief

South Korea’s football association said it had filed a complaint with the sport’s world governing body against the head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for “groundless, bitter accusations.”

The row stems from remarks AFC chief Mohamed bin Hammam made in a television interview in February, in which he blasted Korea Football Association chief Cho Jung-Yeon, saying he was ready to “cut Cho’s head off.”

“Our association has sent an official to Zurich to file a complaint with Fifa’s disciplinary and ethics committees,” Korea Football Association (KFA) spokesman You Young-Cheul told AFP.

During the interview, with Qatari TV, Bin Hammam accused Cho and some other Asian football leaders of supporting the candidacy of Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa for a seat on Fifa’s executive committee.

Shaikh Salman will challenge Bin Hammam for the seat in May when the Qatari’s term expires.

Bin Hammam has since described his quote as a “harmless and widely used Arabic metaphor” that refers to an attempt to thwart someone’s progress.

“Bin Hammam was not sincere in his explanation of his remarks, which are not appropriate as AFC chief and hurt the unity of Asian member countries,” the KFA spokesman said.

“His claim that South Korea has financially backed Shaikh Salman is also groundless,” he said.

South Korea, Japan and some other Asian members have supported the Bahraini official over Bin Hammam.

In recent months Bin Hammam has come under fire after pushing a controversial plan to shift the AFC headquarters from Malaysia.