There is no video assistant referee (VAR) in the semifinals either. The result was an officiating dispute. It happened in the FA Cup, the most prestigious competition in Korea.
Jeonbuk Hyundai defeated Incheon United 3-1 in the FA Cup quarterfinals at Jeonju World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. on Jan. 1 to reach the final.
Jeonbuk will now play the winner of Jeju United and Pohang Steelers for the trophy. The final will be played at home in Jeju or Pohang. If Jeonbuk wins the final, it will be their seventh FA Cup title, surpassing Suwon Samsung (six) for the most wins in the competition.
It was an explosive match with a total of four goals. Jeonbuk took the lead in the 23rd minute through Moon Sun-min, but Incheon responded with a 39th-minute equalizer from Gerso. The game was decided in the second half, as Jeonbuk stunned Incheon with a goal from Baek Seung-ho in the 17th minute and a penalty kick wedge from Park Jae-yong in stoppage time to punch their ticket to the final.
It was a great game, with both teams giving it their all, but it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. That’s because of a questionable call during the match.
Incheon scored the equalizer in the 39th minute of the first half. It started with Jung Dong-yoon getting up high and pressuring Ahn Hyun-beom. In the process, he touched Ahn’s leg once with his right foot. Up to this point, the referee’s discretion may have been exercised, but what happened next was problematic.
Jung Dong-yoon threw himself into the tackle to take the ball from Ahn Hyun-beom, who had his back to him, but he couldn’t get a good touch on the ball and kicked Ahn’s left leg, causing him to fall to the ground. The referee didn’t blow the whistle, and Jerso scored the equalizer from a pass by Moon Ji-hwan.
After going down in the tackle, Ahn tried to complain, but to no avail. There was no VAR system in the game. The FA Cup is the most prestigious competition in Korea, but even in the semifinals, VAR was not activated. In the end, Gerso’s goal was awarded without a chance to review it.
Incheon also has a story to tell. In the 35th minute, trailing 1-2, Lee Kwon-jin was tripped by Park Jin-seob in the box. He raised both hands and looked at the referee to protest, but no penalty was called. This was also a scene that could have been clarified with VAR.
I can’t help but think ‘if only there was a VAR’. In both cases, the problem is that there is no chance to correct the mistake, whether it was a mistake or not. It is difficult to understand why the FA Cup does not have a VAR, which is already in place in all K League 1 and K League 2 matches.
It’s no secret that the FA Cup has been tarnished by substandard operations. Unlike the K League, where you can find detailed records on data portals, the FA Cup is hard to find even simple records. The ongoing issue of FA Cup patch quality and design identity shows no signs of improving.
The FA Cup, in particular, has fallen off a cliff this year. In fact, today’s semifinals were supposed to be played in August. However, the Jeonbuk-Incheon match was postponed in the aftermath of the Jamboree and the Jeju-Pohang match was abruptly postponed an hour before kickoff at the request of Jeju City, which was concerned about the aftermath of a typhoon. The schedule was quickly pushed back three months, and the final was turned into a single-elimination game. It was a complete lack of authority.
For now, the FA Cup final will have VAR. The Korean Football Association (KFA), which organizes the tournament, doesn’t want to make too 메이저사이트 much noise in the final. However, the FA Cup will only continue to decline in prestige if the basics are not taken care of.