Football Association Upholds Referee’s Call in Controversial Ulsan-Jeonbuk Clash
TITLE: Football Association Upholds Referee’s Call in Controversial Ulsan-Jeonbuk Clash
The Korean Football Association (KFA) has officially declared that a contentious referee-player collision during the recent ‘Hyundai Derby’ between Ulsan HD and Jeonbuk Hyundai was not an officiating error. The KFA’s referee evaluation committee, after reviewing the incident from the K League 1 match on May 11 at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium, concluded on May 14 that the decisions made were in line with established rules.
The primary point of contention arose in the 29th minute of the first half when Ulsan HD midfielder Bojanic collided with referee Kim Dae-yong during an attacking play. This contact resulted in Ulsan losing possession, which swiftly led to Jeonbuk’s opening goal, scored by Kim Jin-gyu, and ultimately contributed to Jeonbuk’s 3-1 victory. Ulsan had expressed frustration, believing the loss of possession due to the collision directly impacted the goal.
The KFA committee clarified that while play is typically stopped for a drop ball if the actual ball touches a match official, there is no specific rule mandating a stoppage for physical contact between a player and a referee. They emphasized that the decision to halt play in such a scenario falls within the referee’s discretion and operational scope, rather than being a compulsory rule.
Although a similar incident later in the match saw the referee stop play, the committee explained this was due to the official falling and losing sight of the ball’s direction. The KFA acknowledged the need for greater consistency in future judgments for player-referee contact situations and stated they would work to refine guidelines to achieve this.
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