Referee who made sexually harassing remark, "Girl's Day?", toward Ji So-yeon receives 3-month suspension... Suwon FC Women: "We will not request a re-review"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Referee Bae Sun-young, who made sexually harassing remarks toward Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC Women), a star of women's football, received a three-match suspension sanction from the Korea Football Association.

According to Suwon FC Women on the 11th, the club received an official letter from the Korea Football Association's Disciplinary Committee on the 23rd of last month stating that a three-match suspension had been imposed on the referee in question.

The incident occurred during the 2026 WK League Round 22 match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall, held on August 28. During the game, Referee Bae Sun-young made the remark "Girl's Day (girls day)," a slang term referring to menstruation, directed at Ji So-yeon. When Ji So-yeon protested by throwing her water bottle, Referee Bae instead produced a yellow card.

When controversy arose, Referee Bae Sun-young admitted the slip of the tongue, stating, "It was something we said among ourselves." The acting chair of the Korea Football Association's Referee Committee also explained that the remark was not directed specifically at Ji So-yeon, which exacerbated the situation.

Subsequently, the Korea Football Association's Amateur Referee Evaluation Committee referred the case to the Disciplinary Committee. The Disciplinary Committee finalized a three-match suspension, which is the lowest level of sanction under regulations applicable to cases where "the degree of sexual harassment is mild or incidental."

The Suwon FC Women side stated that they will not request a separate re-review in order to focus on the remaining season, given that they are approaching major schedules such as the WK League Championship (15th and 18th) and the W Korea Cup Final (21st).

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original