The Korean Football Association has decided to refer the case of inappropriate comments made by a referee towards Ji So-yeon of Suwon FC Women during a recent WK League match to its Fairness Committee.
On September 3, the association's amateur referee evaluation committee met at Korea Football Park in Cheonan and, considering the seriousness of the matter, decided to escalate it to the Fairness Committee in accordance with referee regulations.
The Fairness Committee plans to review the situation by hearing testimonies from those involved and examining the relevant details to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted and the appropriate level of punishment.
The controversy arose during a match on August 28 at Suwon Sports Complex between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall. Approximately 30 minutes into the first half, Ji So-yeon received a warning after protesting to the referee about the game situation, leading to a four-minute stoppage in play.
The Korea Women's Football Federation reported that Ji So-yeon claimed to have heard the referee's crew use slang terms, such as 'girl's day' and 'sensitive,' during their wireless communication, which referred to menstruation. She protested to the referee regarding these comments.
During this incident, Ji So-yeon expressed her frustration by throwing water bottles. Referee Bae Sun-young displayed a red card but did not issue an ejection. Initially, Bae denied making the related comments but later acknowledged that they were part of a conversation among referees.
However, the referee team stated that they did not use the term 'menstruation' in their communication and did not specifically refer to Ji So-yeon.
According to reports, Ji So-yeon's team, Suwon FC Women, raised concerns about the inappropriate comments made by the referees during the match and formally requested the federation and the football association to verify the facts and take action on August 30.
Following the match, the federation listened to the club's opinions and reviewed relevant documents, including the referee's report and the match supervisor's report. On the morning of August 31, they requested an official statement from the football association's referee operations team regarding the circumstances of the comments made during the match and the specific facts, along with future handling plans.
The football association stated, "In light of this incident, we plan to implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future and to strengthen education to foster a culture of mutual respect among all participants in the WK League, including players and referees."
They added, "The football association has been working to prevent human rights violations in football by establishing ethical regulations and human rights protection regulations in 2023. We will continue to actively promote ethical awareness and a culture of mutual respect throughout the football community, not just in the WK League."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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