'Disciplinary Crisis' Lee Kang-in Faces Referee with 'Unlucky Warning' History for South Africa Match

*This content was translated by AI.

The refereeing team for South Korea's match against South Africa, which will determine whether the South Korean national football team advances to the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup Round of 32, has been finalized. Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), currently in a so-called "warning trouble" situation, will unfortunately face the same referee who issued him a questionable yellow card four years ago.

FIFA announced on the 22nd that Facundo Tello, an Argentine referee, will serve as the main referee for the final Group A match between South Korea and South Africa, scheduled to be held on the 25th at 10 a.m. (Korea time) at Monterrey Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico. Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade, both of the same nationality, will serve as assistant referees. Andres Rojas and Alexander Guzman, both from Colombia, have been assigned as the fourth official and reserve referee, respectively.

Main referee Facundo Tello, born in 1982, began his professional refereeing career in 2013 through the Argentine Primera Division. Primarily active in South American competitions, he obtained FIFA international referee status in 2019 and has participated in FIFA World Cup finals and the FIFA Club World Cup. This marks his second appearance at a World Cup final tournament, following the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Coincidentally, during the Qatar World Cup, Tello served as the main referee for the final Group A match between South Korea and Portugal. In the match officiated by Tello, South Korea secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Portugal and successfully advanced to the Round of 16. He also served as the main referee for the Switzerland vs. Cameroon group stage match and the Morocco vs. Portugal quarterfinal. In this North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup, he officiated the Group B opener between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

While it is a welcome fact that Tello was the referee during South Korea's dramatic qualification for the Round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup, the assignment may be somewhat unsettling for Lee Kang-in. This is because Lee received a questionable yellow card during that match against Portugal. At the time, Lee made a tackle to stop Vitiña's counterattack, and Referee Tello issued a yellow card without hesitation. Lee protested the decision, gesturing that he had touched the ball before Vitiña's leg, but the ruling was not overturned.

The questionable yellow card record from that match is particularly notable because Lee Kang-in is currently in a "warning trouble" situation for this tournament. Lee received a yellow card on the 19th during a challenge for the ball against Mexico, where he stepped on an opponent's foot. If Lee receives another yellow card in the third match against South Africa, he will be suspended for the next match in accordance with tournament regulations. If he avoids a yellow card in the South Africa match, the single yellow card received in the Mexico match will be nullified at the end of the group stage.

Unfortunately, Referee Tello not only issued a yellow card to Lee Kang-in during the South Korea vs. Portugal match but is also known for issuing a relatively high number of cards overall. According to Transfermarkt, he has issued a total of 2,030 yellow cards across 433 official matches, averaging 4.7 yellow cards per game. He has sent off 74 players for accumulated yellow cards and 75 players for direct red cards.

The only sending-off in four World Cup matches in history occurred during the 2022 Qatar World Cup quarterfinal between Morocco and Portugal, when Morocco's Walid Cheddira was sent off for accumulated yellow cards. At that time, Referee Tello also issued a second yellow card and a red card to Cheddira without hesitation immediately after a rough challenge in stoppage time. During this North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup, in the Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina match, Tello issued no fewer than five yellow cards in a single game and called 30 fouls. At the time, Tello's foul call count ranked second among all 20 referees, and his card issuance ranked fourth overall.

South Korea, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, sits in second place in Group A with one win and one loss (three points). Mexico (two wins, six points) has already secured first place in the group and advancement to the Round of 32. South Korea is being chased by Czech Republic and South Africa (both with one draw and one loss, one point). South Korea will advance to the Round of 32 in second place with just a draw against South Africa, but a defeat could see them drop to third place depending on the result of the Mexico vs. Czech Republic match at the same time, potentially requiring them to wait for results from other third-placed teams, or even fall to fourth place and be eliminated entirely. In this World Cup, the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams among the 12th groups will advance to the Round of 32 tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.