Suwon FC Women midfielder Ji So-yun, center, takes a penalty kick during the AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal against Naegohyang Women's FC at the Suwon Sports Complex on May 20.YONHAP
The Korea Pro-Footballer’s Association called for strong action against the female referee who allegedly made a sexist remark toward Suwon FC Women's Ji So-yun during a match, calling the incident “a human rights violation and an abuse of power.”
“A referee, who should be among those closest to the players and responsible for protecting them, instead subjected a particular player to indelible humiliation in front of players from both teams,” Korea Pro-Footballer’s Association President Lee Keun-ho said in a statement Monday. “Abusing authority by using penalty cards as a weapon to cover up such conduct is an appalling act that would be unacceptable in any professional league anywhere in the world.”
The players' association called on the Korea Football Association (KFA) to immediately form an emergency committee to overhaul the refereeing system and strengthen protections for players.
During a match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul WFC on Friday, Ji said she heard referee Bae Sun-young make a remark along the lines of, “She's been sensitive from the start. She must be on her period.” Ji had been protesting a foul by an opposing player at the time.
As the exchange continued, Bae took out a yellow card and booked Ji. Bae then held a red card in her hand as Ji continued to protest, but ultimately did not send her off.
Bae said the remark was “something [the referees] said among ourselves.” The KFA's refereeing department said the word “period” was not used and that the remark did not specifically refer to Ji.
A member of the Suwon backroom staff, however, said Bae used the expression “girl's day” instead of “period,” a euphemism for menstruation.
Ji appears to have misquoted the exact wording during the exchange, but the players' association said the wording does not change the seriousness of the incident and emphasized the need to change the refereeing system.
Ji So-yun protests to referee Bae Sun-young during a match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul WFC at Suwon Sports Complex on Aug. 28. Bae is seen holding a red card, although she did not issue it to Ji.SCREEN CAPTURE
“The current deeply flawed system run by unqualified acting officials must be brought to an immediate end, and an entirely new and transparent body for referee appointments, free from outside interference and personal connections, must be established,” the association said Monday. “The referee responsible for the sexual harassment must be immediately removed from the field, and the case must be referred to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's Fair Play Commission for the strongest possible disciplinary action.”
The association said the incident also had an impact on other players who witnessed the exchange.
“Even the Seoul WFC players who were nearby on the field clearly heard the unbelievable sexually harassing remark from the referee and were stunned,” players' association Secretary General Kim Hoon-ki said. “They were deeply shocked at the thought, ‘One day, I could be the one hearing those words.’”
Fifpro, the global union representing professional footballers, is closely monitoring the situation, according to the Korea Pro-Footballer’s Association. The union reportedly views the incident as a serious case of gender-based violence and human rights violations rather than merely a dispute within the league.
The players' association plans to work with Fifpro to share information on the case with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
