"Maybe she's on her period": Demand to fire referee in South Korea
South Korea national team star Ji So-yun heard the remark over the radio during a match. Players' Association: "Sexual harassment and a serious violation of rights."
A major scandal has erupted in South Korean women's football. The country's Professional Footballers' Association is demanding the dismissal of a referee following a remark of a sexual nature that she allegedly made towards South Korea national team star and Suwon player, Ji So-yun, during a local league match.
The incident occurred on Friday, during the match between Suwon and Seoul City Hall. Around the 30th minute, Ji, according to her claim, heard the referee say via the communication system:
"She's been sensitive from the start - maybe she's on her period."
The player protested sharply to the referee, and the game was stopped for about four minutes.
The Players' Association published a harsh statement on Monday in which it defined the case as "a serious violation of human rights and an abuse of the referee's authority." The co-chairman of the organization, Lee Gon-ho, said:
"A referee, who is supposed to be the closest protector of the players on the field, instead caused irreversible humiliation to a specific player in front of the players of both teams, and then used cards as a weapon to cover it up. This is shocking behavior that would not be accepted in any professional league in the world."
The organization's secretary-general, Kim Hong-gi, added that the opposing team's players also heard the remarks:
"Even they were stunned and could not hide their shock after clearly hearing the remark that is hard to believe was said. The players are begging to prevent a situation where a second or third such case could happen at any moment."
The organization demanded that the South Korean Football Association establish an emergency team to examine the refereeing system and the protection of players, fire the referee, and immediately transfer her case to the ethics committee of the Korean Olympic Sports Committee. According to the report, the referee initially denied saying the things, but later changed her version and claimed it was "something said between us."
