SEOUL - South Korea players celebrate after winning the men's football bronze medal at the London Olympics at Millenium Stadium in Cardiff on Aug. 11, 2012. (Kyodo)
South Korean broadcaster MBC alleged Friday that the Korea Football Association provided sexual services to around 10 overseas referees, including Japanese officials, citing a 2016 audit report by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
MBC said the referees oversaw seven matches in South Korea between 2011 and 2012, including World Cup qualifiers, and a Japanese referee involved is "currently active as a senior member" of the Japan Football Association's Referees Committee.
It said the officials received massages at parlors in Seoul, Ulsan and other cities and the sessions were paid for with KFA corporate credit cards.
MBC said of the four Japanese match officials at a 2012 World Cup Asian third-round qualifier between South Korea and Kuwait, two of them received the massages. South Korea won the match 2-0, securing a place in the final round.
The report said three of the seven matches were World Cup or Olympic qualifiers, while the remaining four were friendlies.
