(Export News Intern Reporter Na Seung-woo) The referee, who served as the referee, directly refuted the match between Korea and Spain in the quarter-finals of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, which has been talked about until now due to the controversy over the miscarriage.
Twenty years ago today, June 22, 2002, was the day Korea defeated Spain and reached the semifinals for the first time in World Cup history. It was a day that would go down in history for Korea, but it was also a day filled with anger in Spain.
At that time, South Korea beat Spain in a penalty shoot-out after overtime without scoring. The problem was that Spain’s decisive scoring opportunity was canceled by the referee’s decision. A typical scene was Joaquin Sanchez’s breakthrough at the beginning of overtime, followed by a cross that Morientes put as a header. It was judged that the ball went out of line just before Joaquin raised the cross, so it was not counted as a goal, but in the replay scene, the ball was inside the field.
As a result, the repercussions were greater than expected, and many Spaniards were outraged by the results. Also, the match between Korea and Spain was ranked third in the worst misunderstanding in World Cup history.
Twenty years later, the referee, who was the referee of the game at the time, appeared in person and refuted the controversy. Egyptian referee Ahmed al Gandur said in an interview with Spain’s Marca that “my judgment was excellent”.
Gandur said, “The only blemish was the wrong decision of the assistant referee. The cancellation of Morientes’ goal was the only controversial scene,” said Gandur. “It was the assistant referee’s fault. It should not be included,” he said.
He continued, “Two days after the match, there was also a meeting in FIFA (International Football Federation). My mistake came to the conclusion that I only brought out yellow cards in response to the violent tackles of the Spanish players who felt like sending off.” “FIFA scored 8.7 out of 10. and gave a good evaluation of my judgment.”
He also claimed, “None of the players protested against me. The players only protested to the assistant referee. Another proof that my decision was good.”
Finally, he said that the reason Spain lost was not the referee’s fault, but their own. “Spain doesn’t deserve to criticize me. They had several chances throughout the game,” Gandur said.
photo = Yonhap News
Reporter Na Seung-woo winright95@xportsnews.com
