Hiddink: "Thanks to the referee, Korea won? I'm offended." → Italian media still claim "unfavorable calls were made"... 20-year-old controversy over the Round of 16 match persists

*This content was translated by AI.

A single remark by former South Korean national soccer team coach Guus Hiddink has stirred up Italian media once again.

Italian football-specialized media outlet "L'Insider del CalcioMercato" reported on the 10th (Korean time) that "Coach Hiddink has raised the controversy surrounding referee Byron Moreno's calls again." The outlet added, "Hiddink stated that there was no fault on referee Moreno's part and instead argued that Christian Vieri of Italy should have been sent off."

The media explained, "Even more than 20 years later, Hiddink has once again spoken out about one of the most controversial events in recent Italian football history: the match where Italy lost to South Korea and was eliminated at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup."

It further emphasized, "This match was officiated by referee Moreno, with the outcome decided after extra time. Due to controversies surrounding certain calls, it remains a topic of discussion to this day."

Previously, on the 9th, Coach Hiddink reflected on the Round of 16 match between South Korea and Italy at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup during an interview with renowned Italian football journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

At that time, South Korea defeated Italy 2-1 in a tense extra-time battle in the Round of 16, thanks to Ahn Jung-hwan's golden goal. South Korea had been trailing 0-1 but scored a dramatic equalizer late in the second half through Seol Ki-hyeon, and then Ahn Jung-hwan scored a header golden goal in extra time to turn the match around.

Although it was a legendary match that will be remembered forever in South Korean football history, complaints about the refereeing decisions during that game continue even 24 years later in Italy.

In particular, criticism has been fierce toward Moreno, the referee from Ecuador at the time. For a long time, Italians have maintained that they suffered unfavorable calls and were eliminated early from the tournament as a result.

Journalist Di Marzio also asked Hiddink pointed questions during their interview.

When Coach Hiddink said, "At that time, South Korea had a physical advantage, and European teams found it quite difficult to face us," Di Marzio cited Italy and Spain as examples and asked, "Didn't referee Moreno have the South Korean national team's jersey under his referee uniform?"

Coach Hiddink immediately expressed his displeasure. He replied, "I do not like that question because it reveals a biased perspective in a specific direction."

He then mentioned the rough play by Italian striker Vieri at the time. Coach Hiddink pointed out, "If you speak that way, Vieri should have received a warning for elbowing an opponent in the first half. But Moreno didn't even see that."

Coach Hiddink's position was clear: The cause of Italy's defeat should not be attributed solely to refereeing decisions.

Hiddink stated, "Blaming the referee is easy," and emphasized, "Italy at that time was a team with enormous potential. Just look at the names of those incredible players."

At that time, Italy was filled with world-class stars such as Paolo Maldini, Francesco Totti, Vieri, and Gianluigi Buffon.

Coach Hiddink remarked, "With a squad of that caliber, they should have completely dominated South Korea. But they failed to do so." He further criticized, "Italy was a team that should have won easily, but in the end, they did not."

L'Insider del CalcioMercato reported, "Coach Hiddink unreservedly defended referee Moreno's management of the match from Ecuador," adding, "He argued there is no reason to blame Moreno for the result of that game."

It further explained, "Hiddink maintained that since Italy had many world-class players at the time, they should have defeated South Korea by leveraging their high level of talent."

The outlet noted, "Coach Hiddink's latest remarks have once again drawn attention to an event that continues to divide fans and football officials."

The media explained that views on the 2002 South Korea-Italy match remain sharply divided even today. On one side is Coach Hiddink's perspective, which emphasizes South Korea's performance at the time and downplays the impact of refereeing decisions on the outcome.

On the other hand, there are still many fans in Italy who remember that several questionable calls worked to their disadvantage.

Coach Hiddink also strongly criticized the controversy surrounding Ahn Jung-hwan that erupted in Italy following the defeat.

At the time, Ahn Jung-hwan played for Perugia in Italy's Serie A. After scoring the golden goal that eliminated Italy, he faced severe backlash, including public criticism from his club's owner and was eventually released by Perugia.

Regarding this, Coach Hiddink said, "If you lose, you must behave with dignity and sportsmanship," and questioned, "Did Italy really act that way?"

He further emphasized, "If they had such star players, they should have defeated South Korea within 90 minutes. They should not complain after the fact."

L'Insider del CalcioMercato reported, "This is not the first time figures who participated in that World Cup have spoken again about the incident at that time."

It added, "This shows that the controversy over the 2002 South Korea-Italy match remains an unfinished chapter in the memory of international football even more than 20 years later."

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*This content was translated by AI.