"Not a mistaken call": Korea Football Association issues rare explanation; referee in question made opposite ruling one year ago

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) released its position first regarding the controversy over a refereeing decision that occurred in professional K League matches last weekend. It is extremely rare for the football association to issue a direct explanation concerning major controversial decisions. Despite emphasizing communication by announcing plans to hold Monday briefings and expand regular press conferences ahead of the season kickoff, the association failed to honor any of these commitments even once. Then, on the 14th, it suddenly announced that instead of holding a Monday briefing, it would inform the public about the results of the Referee Evaluation Council meeting.

The controversial decision occurred during the 17th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 match between Ulsan HD and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on the 11th. In the 29th minute of the first half, intense debate arose over whether it was appropriate for referee Kim Dae-yong to continue play immediately after colliding with Boyanich (Ulsan). This was not a simple collision. After colliding with Referee Kim, Boyanich fell heavily and lost a shooting opportunity; the situation even raised concerns about potential injury. The ball that Boyanich missed became the starting point of Jeonbuk's counterattack in their defensive zone, eventually leading to a goal. The incident had a tremendous impact on the flow of the match.

However, the KFA Referee Evaluation Council concluded based on regulations that "it was not a mistaken call." The council explained, "The situation did not involve contact between the ball and a match official (referee), but rather contact between a player and the referee. Under the rules of the game, no separate reason for stopping play arises." It further stated, "Whether to stop play in a physical contact situation is not mandatory under the rules of the game but falls within the referee's domain of match management." The decision to stop or continue play rests with the referee's discretion, and simply stopping play cannot be considered a 'mistaken call,' according to the explanation.

However, the core issue in this controversy was not whether the decision qualified as a 'mistaken call.' From the outset when the controversy erupted, the majority view held that there was no regulatory basis for stopping the game. Nevertheless, as explained by the council, the focus shifted to referee Kim Dae-yong's discretion within his domain of match management: why exactly did he choose to continue play? Immediately after colliding with him, a player fell heavily; the flow of the game changed drastically with an immediate shift in possession; and even a goal resulted. If it was indeed within the referee's discretion, stopping the game would have been the common-sense course of action.

A bigger problem existed separately. Referee Kim Dae-yong blew his whistle and stopped play during a collision with Jang Si-young (Ulsan) in the added time of the second half — the opposite of what he did earlier in the same match. This resulted in different decisions following collisions with players within the same game, sparking strong criticism regarding 'decision consistency.' In response, the council elaborated that "the referee fell and could not confirm the direction of the ball's movement, so play was stopped." The time between Kim Dae-yong colliding with Jang Si-young and blowing his whistle again was merely 1 to 2 seconds.

The Referee Evaluation Council's explanation that day did not address referee Kim Dae-yong's 'completely opposite ruling' from one year ago. At that time, it was also a Hyundai Derby between Ulsan and Jeonbuk, with Kim serving as the main referee. Then too, Kim collided with Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk), who was attempting to intercept an opponent's pass, obstructing his path. The ball subsequently led to a Ulsan counterattack; coincidentally, referee Kim Dae-yong blew his whistle and stopped play at that time. It was not as if he could not confirm the direction of the ball due to the collision with a player, nor is it plausible that relevant regulations changed significantly within one year. Essentially, in a situation almost identical to the current Boyanich collision, he made the opposite decision. Regardless of whether such moments fall under match management discretion, a single referee making diametrically opposite decisions in identical circumstances raises questions about his refereeing competence, irrespective of rules or whether it constitutes a mistaken call.

From the perspective of either the KFA or referee Kim Dae-yong, it was particularly unfortunate that a similar incident occurred during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals between North America and Central America. In the quarterfinal match between Spain and Belgium, main referee Michael Oliver collided with a Spanish player, blocking Spain's attacking opportunity. Although Oliver is notoriously known for controversial decisions in the English Premier League (EPL), in this instance he immediately stopped play and raised both hands to apologize to the players. Even if unintentional, it was a natural action for a main referee who had cut off a team's decisive chance. In contrast, referee Kim Dae-yong offered no apology for the situation at that time, while the Korea Football Association issued its rare explanation stating it was not a mistaken call unusually quickly. If the incident had indeed qualified as a mistaken call under regulations, one might question whether the Referee Evaluation Council would have released its position so swiftly.

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*This content was translated by AI.