[Official Announcement] Football Association: "Goal disqualification just before the end of the Suwon-Chungbuk Cheongju match was a deliberate decision... some clear errors acknowledged"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) officially apologized on the 4th, acknowledging that there were some clear errors in the officiating during the match between Chungbuk Cheongju FC and Suwon Samsung played on the 1st. However, regarding the controversial goal disqualification just before the end of the match, the KFA explained that it followed normal procedures.

The KFA released an analysis of key refereeing decisions from the Hana Bank K League 2 2026 Round 20 match between Suwon and Chungbuk Cheongju, held at Cheongju Stadium on the 1st, during a press briefing on the 4th.

The Football Association stated that the incident in which Suwon's No. 10 (Hayes) collided with Chungbuk Cheongju's No. 5 player, whose arm struck Hayes' face unrelated to ball play around the 11th minute of the second half, was a "clear error."

The association explained, "According to Rule 12 of the match regulations, using one's arm against an opponent unrelated to ball play is a foul and warrants a caution. Since this incident occurred inside the penalty area, a penalty kick and a yellow card should have been awarded. The referee failed to recognize the contact, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) also judged it as a natural movement, failing to recommend an on-field review — a clear judgment error."

The association continued, "We sincerely apologize to all football fans and officials who watched the match due to this officiating error."

However, regarding the disqualification of Suwon's No. 98 (Dubickas)'s goal in stoppage time of the second half, the KFA ruled that it was a legitimate procedure. Although Dubickas' header hit the back of the net, the goal was disallowed due to a pushing foul. The association stated, "Dubickas pushed Chungbuk Cheongju's No. 25 player who was attempting ball play just before the header, committing a foul. Since the referee's on-site decision did not constitute an obvious and clear error, VAR's non-intervention followed normal protocol."

Regarding the lack of an on-field review, the association added, "This was not because VAR was not consulted; rather, after reviewing the incident, VAR reached the same conclusion as the referee, so the original decision was upheld."

Additionally, a suspected handball incident near the Chungbuk Cheongju penalty area around the 45th minute of the second half was concluded as a normal call. The association stated, "The ball struck Suwon's No. 58 (Bruno Silva) and deflected unpredictably before contacting Chungbuk Cheongju's No. 25 player's arm. According to Rule 12 of the match regulations, when a ball deflects off a body and changes direction clearly before touching a hand or arm, it does not constitute a handball offense."

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*This content was translated by AI.