The vicious cycle of refereeing continues.
On the 4th, FC Seoul and Ulsan HD played the 11th round of "Hana Bank K League 1 2024" at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. As many as 52,600 cloud spectators gathered in Sangam for the Children's Day holiday. The season's record for the most spectators was re-established, surpassing 51,670 set by Seoul in the second round against Incheon United this season.
Gyeonggi-do Province was also nervous as the close game unfolded. Seoul did not back down against Ulsan with newcomers. Ulsan was smartly run by national team players such as Cho Hyun-woo and Joo Min-kyu.
Then, controversy erupted in the 40th minute of the second half. In the penalty box in Seoul, Ataru's header was hit by Choi Jun, who was competing with the ball in the air. Referee Kim Hee-gon, who was in charge of the referee on the day, made no decision on the situation, and the game continued for about 1 minute and 30 seconds.
When the ball went off the side line, referee Kim Hee-gon briefly talked with the VOR room, conducted an on-field review, and declared a penalty kick (PK). Ultimately, Martin Adam succeeded and Ulsan won the game.
Seoul players strongly protested the decision. They say it was unintentional because Choi's arm naturally went up during the competition with the ball in the air, and Choi was facing the front, when the ball flew backward and hit the hand. However, referee Kim Hee-gon judged that Choi Jun's hand was excessively widened to block the path of the ball.
Seoul players did not stop protesting after the game, and FC Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong indirectly expressed regret at the press conference. Choi Joon, the person directly involved, asked reporters for their understanding and left the mixed zone without an interview.
Handball, especially fouls that are hit by hands connected to PK, are considered to be the most difficult judgment. Intention and naturalness of movement, which are the criteria of standard, must be subjectively interpreted by the referee. The same happened on the day. The referee had a different opinion from Seoul's stance on Choi Jun's handball.
The problem is the consistency of VAR. On-field reviews were conducted in the match between Seoul and Ulsan, but VAR was not activated in a similar handball situation in the fifth round between Seoul and Gimcheon in March. In the first minute, Seoul's Ilyushchenko tried to shoot and it hit Gimcheon's Kim Bong-soo's arm, but there was no VAR review.
The misjudgment in the sixth round between Incheon United and Jeju United is in the same vein. At the time, Mugosa of Incheon scored in the 26th minute after competing with Lim Chae-min of Jeju Island, but it was declared a foul. Coincidentally, referee Kim Hee-gon was the one who made the decision at the time. There was no on-field review in the scene, and the misjudgment was eventually admitted.
There are four VAR activation conditions: scoring, PK, sending off, and double-checking decisions, but distrust of consistency continues as the situation of applying video reading and on-field reviews continues to change.
It is hard to find a way to solve such a problem through communication. The Korea Football Association (KFA) held an evaluation subcommittee and ordered Kim Hee-gon, the chief referee of the Incheon-Jeju match, to be suspended from the game. However, there is no explanation on the level of disciplinary action. Kim returned after one game as the chief referee again in the eighth round between Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai. He did not give a detailed explanation on the disciplinary action, only raising suspicions that he would let them slide.
The Incheon club has not received any official document or apology from the Korea Football Association or the referee committee since the announcement was made. "The team requested a review, and the person in charge contacted the referee committee for confirmation. However, he said, "There are so many controversies that I can't answer all the situations one by one," explaining the referee's attitude.
A club official also expressed frustration, saying, "When there is controversy over misjudgment, they make an official complaint. However, they have no expectation for a solution. Even so, we can't just stay put. We are taking actions to show that even earthworms wiggle when they step on it." Seoul will also reportedly protest against the situation. As a result, the club and its fans are suffering from a vicious cycle, while inconsistent situations and lack of communication are increasing distrust in judgment.
The Premier League was applauded for neatly acknowledging the recent VAR-related misjudgment. Liverpool's score in the match between Liverpool and Tottenham was canceled due to offside, but it was actually onside. In response, the Premier League admitted the mistake by disclosing all the conversations that came and went between the referee and the VOR room on its official website.
In other words, judgment controversy occurs in any league. What matters is the will and method to resolve it. It is time to take a cool-headed look back on why the vicious cycle continues like this. 스포츠중계