The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on the안전놀이터 25th that ‘the Napoli-Real Mallorca match has been finally rejected as the organizers have not fulfilled any of the conditions set by the KFA. A letter was sent to the organizers a short time ago,” it said.
A South Korean sports platform startup pushed for the visit of Napoli and Real Mallorca. The plan was to hold a ‘Korea Tour’ at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 8 and Goyang Sports Complex on June 10. Napoli won the Italian Serie A title for the first time in 33 years in the 2022-2023 season. The team is led by ‘monster defender’ Kim Min-jae (27). Real Mallorca is led by Lee Kang-in (22). The possibility of a “spear and shield” match between national team juniors Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in wearing their respective clubs’ jerseys has raised eyebrows.
The KFA received and reviewed the relevant documents on July 7. The company reportedly did not submit a consent form from the Korean Football Association. According to Article 10 of the Football Association’s International Competition Approval and Operating Regulations, an organization wishing to host a competition or match must submit a total of 14 documents. One of these is a letter of consent (or approval) from the relevant federation, which means the consent of the professional football association is mandatory. The organizers failed to submit this. As a result, the Football Association met on June 19 and decided to ban the June 10 match.
The key was the June 8 match. On June 23, the Federation deliberated on the approval of the Napoli-Real Mallorca match. The result was a ‘conditional approval’. In order to ensure the safe execution of the match and minimize the impact on fans in the event of an incident, the organizers had to fulfill one of two conditions.
The Football Association’s ‘Condition 1’ states that “The Organizer must deposit 2.4 billion into the Football Association’s account by 11am on May 25. 2.4 billion is 30% of the estimated gate receipts for the June 8 match as estimated by the organizers.” “Condition 2” reads, “The organizers must deposit $800 million into the KFA’s account by 11 a.m. on May 25. 800 million is 10% of the Organizer’s estimated ticket sales revenue for the June 8 match. In addition, the organizers must submit to the federation by 11 a.m. on May 25 a monetary bond trust deed jointly signed by the organizers and the investor. The covenant must include a statement that “in the event of an accident, the priority is to refund ticket proceeds to the fans who attended the match” and “in the event of a post-match settlement of ticket proceeds or refund of admission fees due to an accident, the prior written consent of the Football Association shall be obtained and enforced.
The requirement for a deposit is part of the rules for authorizing conventions. The monetary bond trust was proposed by the organizer to FIFA as an alternative to charging a deposit. However, the organizers failed to submit the relevant documents by 11 a.m. on the 25th. Fifa ultimately decided to deny the Napoli-Real Mallorca match.