By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- The election to fill the vacant top position at the national football federation will likely be held before the end of this year in an expanded format, officials said Tuesday.

Park Ji-sung, former men's national team captain who co-heads the K-Football Innovation Committee, made the announcement following the government-formed body's latest meeting earlier in the day.

The committee was formed by the sports ministry in early July in light of South Korea's early elimination from the FIFA World Cup and ongoing controversy surrounding opaque operations at the Korea Football Association (KFA). KFA President Chung Mong-gyu resigned soon after the country's exit from the group stage at the tournament, ending his fourth term prematurely.

The committee has held several meetings since to discuss ways to improve the KFA's administration. In late July, the committee reviewed the election format for KFA president and recommended the expansion of its electorate from about 200 to about 20,000. The previous voter pool included heads of regional football associations, players, referees and coaches, and the expanded group, once finalized, will include more amateur and semi-pro players.

The committee has claimed that the larger electorate will better represent the entire football community and ensure more fairness in the election.

"We will need some time to prepare for the election but our committee members and the KFA have all agreed that the election must not go past this year at the latest," Park told reporters after Tuesday's online meeting. "The KFA wants to hold the election as soon as possible, and its representatives have been proactive in these discussions. I expect the election to take place before the end of this year."

Under the previous setup, eligible voters were able to cast their ballots in person. Park acknowledged in-person voting may not be feasible for 20,000-something voters in the proposed format.

"We will explore having electronic or online voting in discussions with working-level staff," Park said.

Park also said the committee will invite the public to its next meeting at 2 p.m. on Aug. 19 at Korea Football Park, the new home of the KFA, in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul.

Football fans and players alike will be free to attend, Park added.

jeeho@yna.co.kr

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