Time is running out! The South Korean football federation said Monday it was in negotiations with its women’s team, which is threatening to boycott the Asian Cup in March, denouncing discrimination.
The players criticized last year “discriminatory conditions” and were generally poor compared to their male counterparts, claiming, for example, to have to pay for their own airport connections and training outfits.
A press release dated September and made public in January reported long journeys by bus or economy class planes, and “inadequate” accommodation far from training grounds.
A paltry budget
An internal document from the federation, consulted by AFP, shows that around 1.3 million dollars were allocated to them in 2025, which represents less than 10% of the men’s team’s budget.
“We are continuing discussions with the players to resolve this problem and plan to respect our training schedule,” a federation official (KFA) told AFP on Monday.
The team will be called up in mid-February for a preparation course before the Asian Cup, which will take place from March 1 to 21 in Australia, she said.
In their press release, the players warned that they would “suspend their participation in all training related” to the competition and would refuse to play matches if the KFA did not respond to them before October 17.
“We have the impression that the players are not treated as members of the national team,” midfielder Ji So-yun recently denounced.
“It is with a heavy heart that I believe that action is necessary to bring about change,” she said, according to comments reported by the Yonhap news agency.
