'Not an erroneous call,' Korean Football Association concludes controversial Incheon-Jeonbuk match ruling was correct

*This content was translated by AI.

'The Korean Football Association has concluded that the controversial ruling in last month's match between Incheon United and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors was correct,' it was reported.

According to football sources on the 2nd, the KFA Professional Referee Evaluation Committee concluded during a meeting held the previous day that referee Kim Dae-yong's 'no penalty kick' decision in the final moments of added time during the Incheon-Jeonbuk match was not an error. The Professional Referee Evaluation Committee is the body responsible for making final determinations on whether major rulings were correct or erroneous and for confirming referee ratings.

The situation at the time unfolded as follows: With the score tied 1-1 in the final moments of added time during the second half, Incheon defender Kim Geon-hee, who had joined the attack from a right-side cross, collided with Jeonbuk defender Park Ji-soo and fell. Slow-motion footage showed Park appearing to grab Kim by hand.

The cross had already cleared even the goalkeeper, meaning if Kim had not fallen in front of the goal, he would have been able to attempt a shot toward an empty net. Moreover, the ball did not hit Park's head but instead flowed to the opposite side.

Incheon players immediately appealed for a penalty kick, but referee Kim Dae-yong blew no whistle and only communicated with the video review room. Afterward, he declared no foul without conducting an on-field review process where he personally watched the footage, then ended the match as is.

Incheon coach Yoon Jeong-hwan and his coaching staff protested the ruling. However, referee Kim Dae-yong merely stated that no foul had occurred before leaving the stadium. During this exchange, only coaches Jung Hyuk and Kwon Chan-soo (goalkeeper coach) received warnings for their protests.

The decision not to award a penalty kick — meaning no foul occurred — made by referee Kim Dae-yong itself was already subject to controversy. To reduce even slightly the room for doubt, an on-field review should have been conducted to reconfirm whether a penalty kick was warranted. Given that this situation could completely alter the match result in its final moments, it was precisely the time when a more cautious ruling was needed.

However, referee Kim Dae-yong only communicated via radio with VAR official Park Byung-jin and did not even conduct an on-field review, further fueling the controversy. This was especially problematic because he had recently been at the center of major K League ruling controversies this season alone, making the backlash inevitable.

The Professional Referee Evaluation Committee concluded through its meeting that there were no issues with referee Kim Dae-yong's ruling at the time. The committee determined that Park Ji-soo did not grab Kim Geon-hee in front of the goal, and therefore not awarding a penalty kick was also the correct decision.

Recently, the Korean Football Association announced it would actively incorporate diverse perspectives from non-referee members regarding referee rulings by increasing the number of non-referee representatives on the Professional Referee Evaluation Committee from one to three (from the Korea Professional Football League). It was reported that this meeting was conducted with an expanded composition reflecting a higher proportion of non-referee members. In addition to these non-referee members, there are four KFA officials specializing in rulings, including former referees serving as instructors and analysts.

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*This content was translated by AI.