K League 'Allegations of Inciting Match-Fixing' Leaked Record Sparks Controversy; Korean Football Association Says It Is Verifying

*This content was translated by AI.

Controversy has erupted after a recording surfaced alleging that a referee official in professional soccer's K League incited a referee to fix a match.

According to the soccer community on the 15th, allegations have been raised that a referee evaluator directly contacted the main referee for a 2023 K League 2 match and instructed him to fix it.

In the recording released via the YouTube channel Dalsune Live on that day, the referee evaluator told the referee, "If you finish well, I'll give you a bonus," and "I'll give you a 2 million won bonus, so please finish well."

He also made remarks such as, "You can't let them reach the playoffs," and "Wouldn't it be easier if you put two central defenders in the early stages with two yellow cards?"

While no direct expressions related to match-fixing appear, the soccer community views this as the referee evaluator inciting the referee to fix the match by using game assignments (bonuses) as bait.

References to the playoffs and remarks about issuing yellow cards to two center backs in the early stages of the game are key points that bolster suspicions of the referee official's involvement in inciting match-fixing.

Even worse, this referee official stated, "I've already given hints. We agreed to give each a bonus if they perform well," while also mentioning names of others believed to be referees, escalating the suspicion to whether the match-fixing was carried out systematically.

It is reported that similar content was conveyed to members of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. The National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee recently conducted a national audit on the Korean Football Association.

A representative of the Korean Football Association responded to related reports by saying, "We are verifying," and added, "No reports or complaints have been received separately by the Korean Football Association."

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*This content was translated by AI.