Reunited With 'Strict Referee' After 4 Years: Caution Advised for South Africa Match

[Anchor]

The referee for the match against South Africa has been confirmed as Facundo Tello of Argentina. He has a positive history with us, having officiated our 3rd group stage match against Portugal at the Qatar tournament four years ago, where we secured a victory. However, he is known for being a strict referee who frequently issues cards, so caution is advised.

Ha Sung-ryong reports.

[Reporter]

Argentine referee Tello, who has been an international referee since 2019, made global headlines during the 2022 Argentine Cup final.

At that time, he sent off a staggering 11 players, including those involved in a mass brawl, the protesting manager, and players who mocked his decisions, while also issuing 12 yellow cards.

He also officiated our dramatic 3rd group stage match against Portugal at the Qatar World Cup that year, where he issued yellow cards to two of our players.

He gave a yellow card to Lee Kang-in for a tackle and to Hwang Hee-chan for taking off his jersey after scoring a goal.

Known for his strict officiating style, averaging 4.7 yellow cards and 24 fouls per match, referee Tello did not hesitate to blow his whistle and issue 5 yellow cards in the Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina match at this World Cup for rough tackles and fouls that stopped counterattacks.

This is more than double the average of 2.33 yellow cards per match across the 24 games played in the first round of this tournament.

Referee Tello also drew attention for being the first to enforce the so-called "5-second throw-in rule," a new regulation for this tournament that awards possession to the opponent if a throw-in is not taken within 5 seconds.

Currently, three players on our national team—Lee Kang-in, Paik Seung-ho, and Lee Ki-hyuk—have each received one yellow card. They must exercise caution, as accumulating another yellow card in the match against South Africa would prevent them from playing in the Round of 32.

(Video Editing: Ha Sung-won, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.