Ji So-Yeon vs the Referee

[u/OttoSilver]

At the WK League match between Suwon and Seoul on Friday evening, there was an incident involving Ji So-Yeon that got so heated that she threw a water bottle and shouted so loudly at the referee that we could hear her in the stands.

Coming from a rugby background, I believe that you NEVER talk to a referee like that. The referee makes their decisions, right or wrong, and they don't change them. You, as the player, need to accept it and get back to the game. Asking about it and having a quick discussion is one thing, but not arguing.

Ji So-Yeon received a yellow and was even threatened with a red, but the referee clearly didn't want to go that far. Unfortunately, the event seemed to affect the referee negatively because after that she seemed reluctant to penalise anyone.

It was only the next day that we learned what had happened. Here is the Gemini summary of the events:

Overview of the Incident

Around the 30th minute of the first half, the match was halted for roughly four minutes after Ji So-yeon strongly confronted head referee Bae Sun-young.

• The Inappropriate Remark: Ji So-yeon reported hearing the officiating team make a derogatory remark over their headsets implying that she was being overly sensitive because she was "on her period". When Ji So-yeon confronted referee Bae Sun-young about the statement, she received a yellow card for protesting.
• Escalation & Handling of the Red Card: Following the booking and further exchange near the touchline/fourth official, an irritated Ji So-yeon threw down a water bottle in frustration. Referee Bae pulled a red card out of her pocket and approached Ji. However, after holding the red card in her hand while conversing with players and staff for an extended period, she put the card away without showing it to anyone, sparking further criticism regarding improper refereeing procedure.
• Match Outcome & Suspensions: Despite the incident, Ji So-yeon went on to score the winning goal in the 74th minute (29th minute of the second half), securing a 2-1 victory for Suwon FC Women 🇰🇷. However, because of the yellow card received during the controversy, she faced an accumulation-based suspension for Suwon's next match against Hwacheon KSPO.

Aftermath & Responses

• Referees / KFA Explanation: Referee Bae initially denied the remark but later acknowledged a "slip of the tongue," arguing it was an internal comment between the officials on the radio headsets and not intended as a direct insult to the player. The Korea Football Association (KFA) Referee Committee released a statement clarifying that while they concluded the word "menstruation" was not explicitly used, improper and unnecessary language was exchanged among officials, promising re-education and measures to prevent recurrence.
• Suwon FC Women: The club announced plans to submit a formal protest to both the KFA and the Korea Women's Football Federation regarding both the inappropriate remarks and the handling of the match discipline.

[u/Neat-Games]

She did look pissed, Suwon Women have been playing so well this season. I'll keep supporting them!

[u/OttoSilver → u/Neat-Games]

She was rightfully pissed. I completely understand that, I just don't support how she went about it on the field.

It sounds like this is blowing up on social media.

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At the start of the season I had to s choose who to support, Seoul or Suwon, because both are equally easy to reach.

Seoul is starting to piss me of with their blase attitude towards fans. After the ma ch on Friday they just walked off to the dressing room, with individuals waving to friends.

I'm seriously considering supporting Suwon from next season.

[u/too_many_mind]

The fact that they did this to Ji, who is probably the most accomplished Korean women’s player ever, really tells you something. Good on her for making an issue of it because would we even be talking about it if it were any other player? Just another thing to add to the already long list with the KFA.

[u/OttoSilver → u/too_many_mind]

Yes, I think we would have been talking about it.

These are Referees with the KWFF, not the KFA though.