Should've gone to Specsavers: Referee criticized after Son Heung-min denied penalty

British referee Andy Madley faced criticism for not awarding a penalty to Son Heung-min during a friendly against Saudi Arabia. Leading optician Specsavers joined the conversation, commenting on the incident

Leading British opticians Specsavers responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, criticizing referee Andy Madley after he failed to award Son Heung-min a penalty for what appeared to be an obvious foul in the box. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

British referee Andy Madley came under fire for failing to award a penalty to Korea’s Son Heung-min after he was brought down in the box by a Saudi Arabian player who appeared to make no contact with the ball during a friendly Tuesday, with even leading opticians chain Specsavers weighing in on the incident.

Specsavers is one of Britain’s largest opticians and glasses retailers, famous for its “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” advertising slogan.

The slogan, typically shown after somebody makes an embarrassing mistake due to poor vision in the advertisements, is one of the most well-known advertising slogans in Britain and has entered regular conversation — typically to describe any situation where somebody has failed to see something obvious.

Playing on that reputation, Specsavers commented on a post on X, formerly Twitter, by Tottenham Hotspur fan account Talking THFC that described the incident as “the clearest penalty you will ever see for the rest of your days.”

Specsavers replied “Interesting,” implying that the incident is relevant to the opticians and likely that Madley “Should’ve gone to Specsavers.”

Alongside criticism from Korean fans and commentators, Madley’s call also made headlines in Britain. The Daily Mail called it a “blatant penalty,” with the Daily Star calling it the “clearest penalty ever.”

Korea still went on to win the game 1-0 on the back of a Cho Gue-sung header in the first half. That victory snapped a five-game winless streak for the Taeguk Warriors, who had failed to win a single game since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as manager at the start of the year.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]