FC Bayern has today agreed a partnership with the Korean Football Association (KFA) in Munich as part of its internationalisation strategy. This strategically significant partnership is the record German champions‘ second with an Asian association following the cooperation agreed with the Japan Football Association (JFA) in May 2018.
FC Bayern München AG chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “South Korean football possesses great young talent and is characterised by very good youth development. We’ve seen that ourselves recently with Woo-Yeong Jeong, who moved to us a year ago from South Korea and has developed magnificently. We’re therefore proud to enter into this partnership and to support the KFA’s continued progress in the future.”
Myung-bo Hong, KFA executive director and South Korea’s most capped player, commented: “This is a great partnership for our association and the right step towards pursuing and achieving our aims. I played against current FC Bayern youth coach Miroslav Klose in the 2002 World Cup semi-final, so I know about his qualities as a player and I’m confident our top talent, with the support of FC Bayern and the measures agreed as part of this partnership, can be brought closer to the level that is demanded by Europe’s top leagues nowadays. It’s a great opportunity, not only for our players, teams and coaches but for the whole of Korean football.”
Following the contract signing in Munich, FC Bayern executive board member responsible for internationalisation and strategy Jörg Wacker commented: “The partnership with the KFA is another important step in our internationalisation strategy in Asia. There ’s a plethora of youth structures and talent there. Korea is one of the leading Asian countries in this area, so this partnership is an excellent fit for FC Bayern.”
Special programmes will be developed for both players and coaches within the Korean Football Association. These will be implemented jointly in South Korea as well as at the FC Bayern Campus in Munich. Friendly games between youth teams, exchange programmes and training camps are also part of the partnership.
The Korean Football Association was founded in 1933. The senior national team is one of Asia’s most successful sides having participated in ten World Cup tournaments since their international debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. In addition, the South Korean Under-23s won the 2018 Asian Games.
Alongside its partnership with the Korean and Japanese associations, FC Bayern is working continually on its youth development with five football schools in Asia (Thailand, Japan and three in China) plus a football school and a partnership with Denver University in the USA. FC Bayern also cooperates with top MLS club FC Dallas, from whom it recently signed 18-year-old talent Chris Richards on a long-term contract.
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