When the Chinese national soccer team drew 0-0 with Lebanon in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup qualifying match, some Chinese netizens claimed, “It was because of the Korean referee.”
On the 19th, Professor Seo Gyeong-deok of Sungshin Women’s University pointed out on Facebook, “The behavior of some Chinese netizens regarding the Asian Cup is disgraceful,” and “They are blaming the Korean referee for the draw in the match against Lebanon on the 17th.”
Professor Seo said, “It’s a kind of lack of qualifications,” and “They are making absurd claims that this is ‘retaliation’ for the Chinese referee’s excessive use of yellow cards to Korean players in Korea’s first preliminary game.”
He added, “Rather than blaming their own country’s performance, they are blaming the Korean referees,” adding, “I hope Chinese spectators and netizens will first acquire ‘basic manners’ before enjoying the Asian Cup.”
Referee Ko Hyeong-jin of Korea gives a yellow card to China’s Zhang Yuning in the first half of the match between Lebanon and China in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup Group A group stage second leg held at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on the 17th (local time). 2024.01.17. Doha (Qatar) = NewsisIn the first match of the Group E match between Korea and Bahrain on the 15th, Chinese referee Manning issued yellow cards to five Korean players.
Two days later, in the second match of the Group A match between China and Lebanon, referee Go Hyeong-jin, of Korean nationality, only issued a yellow card for a foul by Zhang Yuning in the 30th minute of the first half.
Referee Ko did not call a foul when Lebanese player Kharyl Khamis kicked Chinese player Dai Weijin in the face in the 14th minute of the first half. The video assistant referee (VAR) didn’t even consider it a foul, so there wasn’t even a warning.
In response, some Chinese netizens claimed that it was Korea’s retaliation decision, claiming that they had suffered a misjudgment by a Korean referee. On the other hand, Sun Jihai, who is considered a Chinese soccer legend and previously played for Manchester City, expressed the opinion that it was not a foul, saying, “It was not a kick, but a situation where I was unable to remove my foot due to inertia.”
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.