Chung Mong-joon Abandons Bid for FIFA Presidency

Hyundai scion Chung Mong-joon has given up on his candidature for the FIFA presidency.

"FIFA continues to sabotage my candidacy for the presidency," Chung said in a statement on Wednesday. "However, as someone who truly loves football, I will continue to do all that I can to change FIFA."

Earlier this month, the FIFA ethics committee slapped Chung with a six-year suspension and a 100,000 Swiss francs fine for "defaming" the football body in the course of an investigation over irregularities in Korea's World Cup bids.

Chung filed an injunction at a Swiss court but was turned down.

"I am in a double bind," he said. "I can't maintain my candidacy because of the unjust sanctions, but I can't appeal those sanctions or get an injunction from the Swiss court because I don't have the reasoned decision, which the ethics committee has so far refused to send me."

Meanwhile, the FIFA executive committee met Tuesday and announced that the election will take place as scheduled on Feb. 26 next year. Chung now has no way of registering his candidacy before the Oct. 26 deadline.

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