The reason for the misjudgment of Jeonnam scoring is technical defect KFA, and the explanatory data of the controversy over the decision are released...Ulsan Rubik's Son goal is sincere → It's not subject to on-field review

Aug 14, 2025

Photo courtesy=KFA

A scene of controversy over the Jeonnam-Cheonan City match. Relay Screen

The Korea Football Association (KFA) Judgment Committee released the results of the controversial decision on the 14th.

The judging committee held a panel meeting at the Korea Football Center in Shinmun-ro, Seoul on the 13th. The 24th round of the K League 2 between the Jeonnam Dragons and Cheonan City FC at Gwangyang Stadium on the 10th and the 25th round of the K League 1 between Ulsan HD and Jeju SK at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 9th were intensively reviewed.

It was a six-hour relay meeting. At the end of the meeting, K-League club officials also attended and asked about related content. As a result, only Jeonnam-Cheonanjeon, which caused controversy, was judged by the misjudgment.

In the 20th minute of the first half, Jeonnam Min Joon-young's left-footed mid-range shot hit the net. However, after about five minutes of VAR (video reading), the referee declared the goal to be canceled. Jeonnam, which missed the first goal, lost 3-4.

Rubik's scoring scene in the match between Ulsan and Jeju was recognized with sincerity. Some asked if it was offside, but it was not the result of the review. After the meeting, Judge Moon Jin-hee met with reporters and said, "The Jeonnam-Cheonan case is a misjudgment. The Ulsan-Jeju case is heartfelt. I made data for you in the KFA PR office. If you receive the relevant information, you will understand it sufficiently, he said.

photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

The KFA released the data. Regarding the situation of 'Ossim', it was judged as 'main', and on-site judgment of the assistant referee judged it as 'on-side'. In the VAR reading process to finally confirm the goal, it was read as offside and the goal was canceled' The referees conduct VAR calibration verification work to adjust the accuracy of the measurement (line) in the stadium before the start of each game. In the case of the stadium, unlike the pre-test, technical problems arose (seen as offside on the reading screen) in the process of checking VAR on and offside lines during the game.

And 'The reason why it took about 5 minutes to read was also a technical problem with the offside camera, and time passed in the process of repeatedly checking it. Of the five off-side graphics-implementing cameras at Gwangyang Stadium, only one camera was an off-side readable angle in the scene. Unlike the VAR calibration before the game, the situation at the time implemented through this camera caused an error, and in the VAR room, it was delivered to the referee after making an on/off decision on the screen. The referee accepted this and canceled the goal, he added.

As for the 'mindfulness', Ulsan's 97th player (Eric) tried to play on the ball from the offside position in the 18th minute of the second half, but it didn't interfere with Jeju's GK and couldn't be said to have benefited from the goal scene. The situation was objective and was not subject to an on-field review. The referee made the final decision on the VAR's reading.

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Jeju SKFC/ Ulsan Eric Scoring/ Goal Ceremony/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo

'Objective situation' means that the attacker was in an offside position, but it is not declared offside just because he was in an offside position. It is judged offside only when the striker receives the ball or gains from the offside position. In addition, since it is the assistant referee's role to judge the line that the assistant referee picked up the offside flag, the assistant referee's judgment does not make the final judgment.

The KFA is aware of the importance of judging all games played on the ground, regardless of age, league grade, tournament size, and gender. In particular, K-League referees will conduct two weeks of winter training, second-half maintenance training, and monthly maintenance training ahead of the season, and this year, they have already conducted the second maintenance training in July for one night and two days and on the 12th"In addition to this, all K-League referees have already given five online lectures by subject from the FIFA referee instructor Sukidin, the chief referee instructor of the Korea Football Association, and will continue training in the second half of the year."

And despite efforts to improve the quality of the referee, both the KFA and the referee members accept the occurrence of a misjudgment with a heavy heart. In the future, we will think more and try to minimize misjudgment. In addition, we will continue to consult with the professional football federation and the officials of each club in charge of this so that stadium facilities and VAR equipment can also be improved.'

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.