If there was no PK, Korea might not have made it to the round of 16 due to the goal difference.
A referee instructor from the Korea Football Association pointed out that Uruguay contributed a goal by mistake. As a result, this misjudgment led Korea to the round of 16, so it is an eye-catching argument.
Sukidin bin Mod Saleh, Korea Football Association chief referee instructor (56), presented the Qatar World Cup judging trend at the 2022 Korea Football Association referee conference held at the Swiss Grand Hotel in Hongeun-dong, Seoul on the 21st.
Also serving as a referee instructor for the International Football Federation (FIFA), he analyzed a total of 64 matches played by 32 countries from the group stage to the final and shared them with domestic referees. Instructor Sukidin pointed out two errors regarding the video review (VAR) in the penalty area. The first thing he mentioned was a handball foul by Uruguay defender José Jimenez, who was drawn 0-1 at the end of the second group H match between Portugal and Uruguay on the 29th of last month.
Jimenez lost his balance and fell while blocking Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernands in the penalty area, but touched the ball with his left hand in the process. At that time, the referee communicated with the VAR referee and declared a penalty kick with Jimenez’s handball foul. Fernands scored a direct penalty kick in the 48th minute of the second half, deciding a 2-0 victory. According to Instructor Sukidin, the VAR referee conveyed his opinion to the referee, saying, “Since Jimenez’s arm was still not supporting the ground, handball was correct,” and the referee accepted it.
Instructor Sukidin argued that it was a misjudgment, saying, “If the ball hits the ball while going down to support it even before the hand completely touches the ground, it is not handball.” At the same time, he said, “If the referee misinterprets (regulations), problems arise. In this scene, the judges should have judged more accurately.”
This is a sensitive statement in that this penalty kick eventually changed the group H’s round of 16 composition. 2nd place South Korea and 3rd place Uruguay in Group H, who advanced to the round of 16, had the same number of points (4 points) and goal difference (0) in the group stage. Korea laughed as they led Uruguay by two goals, but if Uruguay lost to Portugal 0-1, Uruguay would have surpassed Korea with a goal difference of +1 and advanced to the round of 16 in second place.
However, Sukidin’s remarks are not the official position of FIFA, but his personal opinion. FIFA has yet to admit a mistake in this World Cup. Rather, a disciplinary investigation is under way for Uruguay players who were outraged by their elimination in the group stage for their rough behavior in relation to the referee after the third game against Ghana.