Pohang and Jeonbuk Hyundai are facing off in the 35th round of Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium from 2 p.m. on the 28th. Jeonbuk, the home team, started with a 4-1-4-1 formation. 스포츠토토핫 Gustavo, Song Min-gyu, Baek Seung-ho, Maeng Sung-woong, Han Kyo-won, Boateng, Kim Jin-soo, Park Jin-seop, Koo Ja-yong, Jung Woo-jae, and Kim Jung-hoon started.
The away team Pohang faced off with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lee Ho-jae, Hong Yoon-sang, Yoon Min-ho, Kim In-sung, Kim Jong-woo and Kim Joon-ho, Shim Sang-min, Grant-Park Chan-yong, Kim Yong-hwan, and Hwang In-jae made the selection list. Coach Kim Ki-dong chose a strategy to care for key players such as Zeka, Kim Seung-dae, and Ko Young-jun in preparation for the FA Cup Jeju expedition during the week.
There was a variable in the 23rd minute of the first half when they were facing a tight 0-0. Kim Yong-hwan complained of pain in his ankle as he was pushed down by Kim Jin-soo. Pohang called in Kim Yong-hwan, who could no longer play, and put in Shim Sang-min. No, I was going to call in Kim Yong Hwan.
However, Kim In-sung’s uniform number 7 was written on the replacement board raised by waiting in the 26th minute of the first half, not Kim Yong-hwan’s uniform number 3. Nevertheless, Kim In-sung continued to play, and Kim Yong-hwan, who had already come out of the car, sat on the bench. A clear replacement error.
The judges noticed it about four minutes later. The game was suddenly suspended in the 30th minute of the first half, and referee Youngsoo Kim and head coach Kim Ki-dong talked. The replacement seemed to explain the wrong situation.
In the end, Pohang had to take out Kim In-sung and put in Kim Seung-dae late in the 32nd minute of the first half. Kim In-sung left the stadium looking puzzled. According to the K League’s official record, Pohang excluded Kim In-sung and put Shim Sang-min in the 26th minute of the first half, and only put Kim Seung-dae instead of Kim Yong-hwan in the 32nd minute of the first half.
It was a chaotic situation, but the game resumed for now. However, it is a clear problem that Kim In-sung, who was replaced according to the official record, went around the stadium. He remained on the pitch for nearly six minutes, which should have been replaced.
According to the Jeonbuk club’s explanation, it was incorrectly written when submitting a replacement ticket on the Pohang bench. In addition, it was only later realized that a player different from the number submitted by the judges, including the waiting spirit, had left the stadium. Even that was thanks to recognizing the problem first on the Jeonbuk bench and protesting. Pohang and the judges made a mistake together.
As the second half is underway, the two teams are in a neck-and-neck race of 1-1. Jeonbuk scored the first goal with Gustavo’s penalty kick in the 9th minute of the second half, but Pohang also countered with Zeca’s penalty goal in the 25th minute of the second half.
However, apart from the result of the game, there is a possibility that it will lead to Pohang’s confiscation loss. According to Article 33 (2) of the K League Game Regulations, if an “unqualified player” is found to have participated in an official game during or after the game and an objection is raised by the opposing club within 48 hours after the end of the game, the club in which the unqualified player played is considered to have lost 0:3. If caught during the game, the player will be sent off and the game will continue, but the referee did not take out a red card on the day.
Kim In-sung can be seen as an ‘unqualified player’ because he has been replaced on record. There is already a precedent that Gwangju was confiscated and defeated somewhat unfairly in 2021 as it violated the replacement regulations due to a mistake in the waiting trial.
At the time, the Korea Professional Football Federation said, “Kim Bong-jin, who was put in as a substitute after Gwangju’s replacement number was exhausted, is an unqualified player set by the tournament’s guidelines because he is “not eligible to play at that point.” This replacement error can be interpreted in the same context.
For now, the two clubs and the federation will discuss the interpretation of the rules after the game. The federation said, “It is difficult to talk about it now because we have to judge after hearing the opinions of the two clubs, the waiting and related parties.” According to the regulations, Jeonbuk is expected to have sufficient discussions first because it only needs to raise objections within 48 hours after the end of the game.