KFA decides against punishing egg-throwers

[July 03, 2018]    SEOUL (Reuters) - The Korea Football Association (KFA) has decided not to pursue charges against people who threw eggs at the national team after they arrived home from the World Cup, police said on Tuesday.

South Korea's Ki Sung-yueng and team mates look dejected after the match REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff

South Korea lost their first two games in Russia, to Sweden and Mexico, and exited the tournament in the group stage with not even a shock 2-0 win over Germany in their final match enough to see them through to the knockout stages.

While that win over the defending champions salved some of the wounds from a second consecutive early exit at a World Cup, some fans were furious with the team's showing and threw eggs at them as they were lining up for a photograph at Incheon airport on Monday.

On Tuesday, Yonhap News quoted Incheon International Airport Police as saying the KFA had decided not to pursue punishment for the egg-throwers.

"We first checked the KFA's intention whether it wants to punish the offenders before we launch our investigation," an Incheon airport police official said.

"Throwing eggs is considered an assault, but it's also an offence which can't be prosecuted without the victim's objection."

Four years ago the team were pelted with toffees -- an insult in Korea -- when they returned home from Brazil after a miserable World Cup campaign.

(Writing by Peter Rutherford; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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