K League says result stands after Pohang substitution blunder

The K League on Monday dismissed an appeal by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to demand the Pohang Steelers forfeit their Oct. 28 draw for accidentally fielding 12 players for six minutes, saying that the referee is responsible for the incident.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Maeng Seong-ung in action during a K League match against the Pohang Steelers at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla in a photo shared on Jeonbuk's official Facebook account on Oct. 30. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The K League on Monday dismissed an appeal by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to demand the Pohang Steelers forfeit their Oct. 28 draw during which the Steelers accidentally fielded 12 players for six minutes.

The K League said that the referee is responsible for the incident and the Steelers did not do anything that breached the rules.

The incident stems from substitution confusion during the Jeonbuk-Steelers game at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla, which ended 1-1. During the match, Steelers defender Kim Young-hwan appeared to have some pain in his right leg, prompting manager Kim Gi-dong to substitute him for Shin Kwang-hoon.

The Steelers coaching staff, however, instead requested that midfielder Kim In-sung be substituted off — apparently confusing him for Kim Young-hwan.

Kim In-sung did not leave the pitch, however, presumably because he believed that Kim Young-hwan had been substituted for Shin. With Kim In-sung still on the pitch and Shin going into the game, it left 12 Steelers technically in the match.

Kim Young-hwan was on the sidelines but had not been officially substituted out of the game. Kim Young-hwan was then substituted for Kim Seung-dae six minutes later.

Jeonbuk said that Kim In-sung breached the International Football Association Board rules, which stipulate that a substituted player cannot play any role in the match, because he remained on the pitch despite a substitute request.

The K League, however, said that while it is a club’s responsibility to request the referee make a substitution, it is the referee’s job to allow it.

"There was no breach of the rules in asking the referee to substitute Kim In-sung for Shin Kwang-hoon,” the K League said. “The Steelers’ coaching staff’s mistake to write Kim In-sung’s name [on the substitution sheet] instead of Kim Young-hwan's is a mere miscommunication and not a breach of the rules.

“It is the referee’s responsibility to check who is being substituted off and who will come on after the player comes off and a club does not get involved in the process.”

Under the K League rules, a team should be awarded an automatic 3-0 win if an unsanctioned player is found to be on the pitch during a match.

“An unsanctioned player is a player who played a game under the club’s intent,” the K League said. “Since the Steelers did not have the intent in this incident, we do not see Kim In-sung and Shin as unsanctioned players.”

Had the K League accepted Jeonbuk’s appeal, it could have altered the league standings with three fixtures left to play.

The second-place Steelers would have 59 points and fourth-place Jeonbuk would have 55 with the change, which would have made it possible for third-place Gwangju FC, with 57, to further narrow the gap and snatch second place.

The Steelers, sitting in second place with 60 points, can now solidify the position with the K League’s appeal dismissal.

The Pohang side cannot snatch the frontrunner spot, however, as Ulsan Hyundai locked in the 2023 K League title on Oct. 29.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]