SEOUL, South Korea – The presidential election of the South Korean Football Association has been put on hold after a Seoul court granted an injunction filed by former national team manager Huh Jung-moo.

Huh, a candidate for the association's presidency, had challenged the election process, citing irregularities and unfair practices. The Seoul Central District Court on January 7 sided with Huh, ruling that the election, scheduled for January 8, must be postponed.

The court found that the election process contained “serious procedural irregularities that significantly infringed on the fairness of the election and could have affected the election results.” Specific issues raised by Huh and upheld by the court included:

Opaque election committee: The court questioned the transparency of the election committee's formation, noting that the identities of its members were not publicly disclosed.
Limited voting options: The decision to conduct the election solely through in-person voting was deemed unfair, as it effectively disenfranchised football coaches and players participating in winter training camps.
Insufficient voter turnout: The court pointed out that the number of eligible voters was significantly lower than the maximum allowed due to a technicality related to consent forms, potentially affecting the election outcome.
The court's decision comes as a major blow to incumbent president Chung Mong-gyu, who was widely expected to secure another term. Huh, in his campaign, had repeatedly criticized the election process as unfair and tilted in favor of the incumbent.

In a statement, the football association said it would temporarily postpone the election and announce a new schedule at a later date.

The delay is likely to further intensify the already heated competition for the association's presidency. The three candidates in the race were Chung Mong-gyu, Huh Jung-moo, and Shin Moon-sun, a professor at Myongji University.