KFA admits referee errors

[Anchor]

The Referee Committee of the Korea Football Association acknowledged that both elbowing incidents that occurred during the Pohang vs. Anyang match last weekend were incorrect decisions.

As distrust grows due to inconsistent and baseless judgments, what are the thoughts of Chairperson Moon Jin-hee?

This is a report by reporter Lee Jun-hee.

[Report]

Pohang's Lee Ho-jae elbows Anyang's Kim Jeong-hyun in the face.

Kim Jeong-hyun suffered a significant injury with a tear under his eye, but referee Kim Jong-hyuk immediately issued a warning instead of a red card.

In the second half, this time Anyang's Kwon Kyung-won elbows Pohang's Juninho in the face, knocking him down.

However, referee Kim Jong-hyuk decisively shows Kwon Kyung-won a red card this time.

The same elbowing incident resulted in completely different judgments.

After the match, the controversy continued, and the Referee Committee concluded that both decisions were incorrect, reaching a conclusion that was 180 degrees different from the original ruling.

They stated that Lee Ho-jae's foul, which received a warning, should have been a red card, while Kwon Kyung-won should not have been sent off.

Regarding the inconsistent standards for elbow fouls, the Referee Committee explained the reason for the incorrect decisions by citing the ambiguous standard of "firmness."

However, in June, Pohang's Oberdan was sent off for a similar foul by Kwon Kyung-won, and there was no subsequent reduction of the penalty.

This is why criticisms of "double standards" are emerging.

Amid endless controversies over incorrect decisions, distrust has reached its peak, but Chairperson Moon Jin-hee expressed a detached view, stating that if incorrect decisions were made public, it would shake the league.

[Moon Jin-hee/Korea Football Association Referee Committee Chairperson: "If we publicly disclose referee errors during the league to the media or others, it will shake the league. This is because a small number of members continuously operate the league."]

The Football Association plans to hold a referee evaluation panel meeting next week to discuss whether to impose disciplinary action on referee Kim Jong-hyuk.

This is KBS News, Lee Jun-hee.