Kim Min-jae’s Napoli (Italy) and Lee Kang-in’s Mallorca (Spain) friendlies have been canceled.
According to the Korea Football Association 토토사이트(KFA) on June 25, the KFA notified the promoters Untouchable Sports Group and Stadium X, which were organizing the domestic friendly between Napoli and Mallorca, that the match would not be held.
The promoters had initially planned to invite Napoli and Mallorca to Korea to play a two-game series at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 8 and Goyang Sports Complex on June 10.
The second game (June 10) was prioritized and canceled on June 19 after the Korea Football Association (KFA) expressed its opposition as six K League matches were scheduled on the same day.
The KFA asked the promoters to reply if they were willing to go ahead with only one game, and to prove that they could afford to host a big event like a foreign club’s visit.
Mallorca’s Lee Kang-in raises the ball during the Spanish Primera Liga 2022-23 round 23 match against Espanyol at the RCDE stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday afternoon (Sept. 25, 2018). Mallorca lost the match 2:1. 2023.2.26/News1 ⓒ AFP=News1
The move was designed to prevent incidents like the “Ronaldo no-show” that occurred during Juventus’ previous visit to Italy.
The federation asked for a deposit of billions of won or 800 million won, about 10 percent of the expected revenue for the first leg, along with a special agreement (insurance policy) on how to compensate the team in case of a no-show.
The KFA was supposed to receive the documents by the morning of the 25th, but they were delayed, and by the afternoon, the KFA had not received a response that met the minimum requirements.
In the end, the KFA held a meeting and informed the promoters that it would be difficult for them to travel to Mallorca and Naples. The visit of overseas clubs, which had attracted attention for the match between Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae, was ultimately canceled.