Reporter Kim Hyung-joong = Once again, there were some disappointing calls in the K League. All of the referees failed to check for obvious rule violations, leading to a result that had a huge impact on the game.
On the afternoon of the 25th, the 19th round of the 2023 K League 1 2023 was held at the Suwon Sports Complex between home team Suwon FC and away team Gangwon FC. Both teams were in desperate need of a rebound, sitting in 10th and 11th place respectively, so this was a crucial match for both teams and they needed all three points바카라사이트.
Kangwon, who changed coaches during the A-Match break, came out aggressively in the first half. They took the lead in the 25th minute when Lee Jung-hyeop headed home a cross from Hankyoung. However, the second half was a different story. Suwon FC brought on Kim Hyun, who returned from injury, to form a frontline twin tower with Rath. Lee Seung-woo dropped to the flanks and moved between the left and center, looking for the Gangwon goal. It was an intense game in the hot weather.
The moment in question came just before Suwon FC’s equalizer in the 21st minute of the second half. Suwon FC’s Oh In-pyo was fouled by Gangwon’s Kim Jin-ho as he was going out with the ball near the center circle of his own half. As the referee blew the whistle, Hankyoung pushed the ball away and it bounced off the foot of Park Sang-hyuk. Suwon FC’s Yoon Beom-garam quickly took the free kick, and Oh In-pyo’s cross from Lee Yong-soo’s pass rattled the net with a direct shot. It was a simple goal that came from a quick counterattack after the ball was stolen by an opponent’s foul.
But watching the goal on the field, I had a strange feeling. On Yoon’s free kick, the ball didn’t seem to stop moving. A free kick awarded for an opponent’s foul means that play is restarted from a stopped situation. In other words, the ball must have stopped and play must resume. This is what Article 13.2 of the Laws of Soccer states. The free kick was taken without stopping the ball and went directly to you.
You look at the replay. The replay camera captured Oh In-pyo’s face as he was fouled as the free kick was quickly taken. The Suwon Sports Complex has a running track, so the field is far from the media area. I thought I might have made a mistake, so I searched for the on-field video to double-check. Unfortunately, the ball was definitely rolling when Yoon took the free kick. It was a clear violation of the rules. The referee should have stopped the game and retaken the free kick. However, none of the four referees on the field, including the assistant referee and the standby referee, caught the moment.
The Gangwon bench was in an uproar after the goal. The substitutes explained something to the coaching staff. The Gangwon bench turned to the standby referee. Kicking a rolling ball from a free kick is not a foul. If it is, it can be kicked again. However, since the situation led to a goal, it could be subject to a video review. However, the referees didn’t listen to the Gangwon bench’s request for clarification.
In the end, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. If the goal had been disallowed after the VAR review, Gangwon could have ended Yoon’s debut with a win. Of course, Suwon FC’s late attack could have resulted in another equalizer. “It’s a shame that we missed something basic,” said the majority of soccer fans who saw the scene. “As the weather gets hotter and we enter the middle of the season, not only the players but also the referees need to stay focused,” they said.
This season, the K League has raised eyebrows with some crucial calls. The decisions made in this game further increased the distrust and doubt in the quality of the referees. The result was a disappointing one for Gangwon, while Suwon FC also earned a point.