A fan of FC Seoul, who was victimized by mistake, took a one-person protest.
Seoul lost 2-3 to Gangwon FC in the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 round 9 away match held at Chuncheon Songam Sports Town on the 26th.
Seoul (16 points), whose 2 wins and 1 draw ended, fell to 4th place. On the other hand, Gangwon (7 points) secured the first victory of the season they had been longing for and prepared a stepping stone to escape from the lower ranks.
The joy of the great game between Seoul and Gangwon was soon forgotten. This was because a decisive misjudgment had a profound effect on the match. In the second half of extra time, Seoul’s Ki Sung-yueng’s corner kick led to a scuffle before the goal. At this time, Palošević pushed the ball and split the net. However, the referee’s whistle blew just before Palošević’s shot. During the physical fight, he pointed out Seoul’s foul.
As a result, the referee’s judgment was a mistake. In a situation that was pointed out as a foul, Kangwon tripped and fell at the feet of a teammate, not a Seoul player. However, he could not conduct a video review (VAR) as the referee’s whistle blew just before the goal was scored ㅋㅋㅋ벳.
VAR is only used to determine whether a goal is scored, a penalty kick, or sent off. Simple foul play does not apply. If the referee had blown the whistle after seeing Palošević’s score, VAR could have helped. However, the whistle, which was a bit fast, made VAR unable to help.
The day after the game, the Korea Football Association referee committee held an evaluation subcommittee and acknowledged a mistake in the judgment. The committee has removed the referee from this weekend’s match assignment. Further action will be decided next week.
Kang Jeong-hun (22), a Seoul fan who lost one point, stood in front of the soccer hall for three hours from 11 a.m. on the 28th. Written on his hand were: ‘Broken Whistle’, ‘Breaking Trust’, and ‘We are furious with substandard referees’.
Mr. Kang said, “First of all, I want you to know that the reason Seoul fans are so angry is not just because of this mishap.” At the same time, he mentioned the match between Seoul and Ulsan Hyundai in March last year. At the time, Seoul lost by giving away a penalty kick, but it was later determined to be a mistake.
Mr. Kang said, “At that time, Seoul lost precious points,” and “about a year later, we faced a similar situation again.” He explained, “I think that the insufficient guidelines and discipline a year ago caused this to happen again.”
He said, “Repeated misjudgment is an issue that not only Seoul but also other teams in the K-League should be aware of.
Mr. Kang said, “I understand the referee’s position to some extent.” He said, “It was a situation where several players were gathered over a ball,” and “some Seoul fans argued that it was Seoul’s foul until the so-called direct cam video came out.” At the same time, he added, “In a situation where VAR technology was introduced, we hurriedly blew the whistle and lost the opportunity to check from various angles.”
However, Seoul is not the only victim of this misjudgment case. The sweat of Gangwon, who worked hard for the first win of the season, was also buried. You can’t fully enjoy the joy of victory. In addition, the teams competing for survival with Gangwon were also burdened.
Mr. Kang said, “Not only Seoul and Gangwon, but also indirectly entangled clubs have various gains and damages coexisting.”
Lastly, Mr. Kang said, “By not making a public apology, the refereeing committee added to the prejudice that it was a closed and authoritative group.” He said, “It seems that we need to prepare measures to prevent recurrence and discipline that fans can understand about the referee.”