Ref to Referee Ahead of Match: "He Has 4 Yellow Cards"... Suspicion of Shielding Players

[Anchor]

We reported to you recently about suspicions that a high-ranking official of the Korea Football Association's Referee Committee instructed on-site referees to make favorable calls for a specific club. Now, circumstances have additionally come to light showing that this high-ranking official attempted to exert undue influence in other areas as well. This time, it is alleged that he requested specific rulings regarding certain players and even intervened in contracts.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the exclusive report.

[Reporter]

A, an international referee from Jeju who served as the vice chairman of the Referee Committee until last year, exerted undue pressure by calling a referee ahead of a match back in 2022 when he was a referee evaluator.

The substance was that yellow card management was necessary for a key player belonging to Jeju, which was engaged in a fierce competition for the top six.

[A (Former Referee Evaluator) - Professional Football Referee: Hey, you know that [Player Name]. No, [Player Name], he has 4 yellow cards. If he gets the next one, he can't play. Since he's on the verge of accumulated yellow cards, please control him well. I've already told him not to play too recklessly.]

Following the so-called "match-fixing instigation suspicion" in which he allegedly ordered favorable calls for Busan—whose club owner is former Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu—while serving as the vice chairman of the Referee Committee in 2023, circumstances of him shielding a specific player have now been uncovered.

In addition to this, A is also suspected of having attempted to intervene in the contract of another player belonging to Jeju.

[A (Former Referee Evaluator) - Professional Football Referee: I have some pull, so I need to pay some attention. First of all, [Player Name] needs to renew his contract. I should tell them to proceed with the contract renewal.]

It turns out that the player mentioned by A is the son of a fellow referee evaluator, who joined Jeju that year but did not actually appear in any matches.

[Kim Jae-won / Rebuilding Korea Party Lawmaker: The mere circumstances that a referee evaluator attempted to intervene in a player's contract renewal issue or match management fundamentally shakes fairness to its core...]

The Korea Football Association, having launched an investigation, has suspended A—who is currently a referee evaluator—from his duties, and the Referee Association, which previously issued an apology statement, announced today (September 18) that it will establish a voluntary reporting and internal whistleblowing system.

SBS attempted to contact A multiple times to hear his position, but was unable to reach him.

(Photo courtesy of Office of Lawmaker Kim Jae-won of the Rebuilding Korea Party | Video by Shin Dong-hwan and Yang Ji-hoon | Video Editing by Lee So-young | Design by Hwang Se-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.