'Sexual entertainment' provided to referees: What were the actual rulings? Re-examining the 2012 match against Kuwait and others "Even if Lee Dong-gook had scored, we would have won..."

*This content was translated by AI.

With a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism audit report revealing that the Korea Football Association (KFA) provided sexual entertainment to foreign referees, the rulings made by those referees in 2012 A-match games have also come under scrutiny.

According to a document from the 2016 Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism titled "Investigation Results on Corruption Involving KFA Employees and Others," the KFA provided inappropriate sexual entertainment seven times over one year, from March 2011 to March 2012, to foreign referees who participated in national team matches.

Representative cases include the February 29, 2012, Asian qualifying match against Kuwait for the 2014 Brazil World Cup and the September 22, 2011, final Olympic qualifying match against Oman for the 2012 London Olympics. The document specifies that on the morning of the Kuwait match, 500,000 won was paid via corporate card at a massage parlor in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, and immediately after the Oman match, 760,000 won was paid at a massage business in Changwon.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism determined these were entertainment expenses for referees. It is reported that a staff member testified at the time, stating, "Foreign referees made the initial request."

So, did such entertainment lead to biased rulings? A review of match records and footage from those games reveals no evidence of biased decisions severe enough to manipulate the outcomes of either match.

The national team, led by coach Choi Kang-hee, secured a normal 2-0 victory against Kuwait thanks to Lee Dong-gook's opening goal in the 20th minute of the second half and consecutive goals by Lee Keun-ho in the 26th minute. The Olympic team, coached by Hong Myung-bo, also achieved a decisive 2-0 win against Oman, with Yoon Bit-garam scoring from a free kick in the 24th minute of the first half and Kim Bo-kyung adding a sealing goal in the 29th minute of the second half. There were no critical officiating errors that artificially altered the flow of either game. Both matches were contests where Korea, based on objective superiority in team strength, controlled the play.

However, doubts remain regarding subtle aspects of officiating standards. It cannot be ruled out that the referee's whistle may have acted somewhat leniently toward the host nation, South Korea, in ambiguous ball challenges or foul calls.

Ultimately, while there was no blatant "referee show" that overturned match results, the mere fact that referees and inspectors overseeing international matches received inappropriate entertainment from the host country's association dealt a fatal blow to the fairness of the games.

Fans are strongly criticizing the situation, stating it has made even legitimately won matches appear suspicious due to skill alone.

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*This content was translated by AI.