South Korea's unbeaten streak amid referee scandal
The Korean Football Association (KFA) has been revealed to have provided sexual favors to foreign referees during international qualifiers between 2011 and 2012. During this period, the South Korean national team went unbeaten in 7 matches, recording 5 wins and 2 draws. These matches included the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, 2012 London Olympics qualifiers, and friendly matches.
Which matches were involved?
The matches linked to the scandal include the 2012 February qualifier against Kuwait for the 2014 World Cup, the 2011 September qualifier against Oman for the 2012 Olympics, and the 2012 March qualifier against Qatar for the Olympics. The match against Kuwait was particularly crucial, as a loss would have jeopardized South Korea's advancement to the final qualifying round. However, South Korea won 2-0 and secured the top spot in their group.
Impact on performance and controversy
South Korea maintained an unbeaten record in these 7 matches, with 5 wins and 2 draws. They defeated Oman 2-0 in the first leg of the Olympic qualifiers in September 2011 and drew 0-0 with Qatar in the sixth leg in March 2012. The 2-0 win against Kuwait in February 2012 secured their place in the final qualifying round. Currently, South Korea is ranked 3rd in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 3 points (1 win, 2 losses, recent form: LLW).
International reaction
Japanese media outlet 'The World' criticized the incident, stating that "providing inappropriate favors to referees who officiate international matches is a violation of sports fairness and ethics." They also noted that "this will not only cause significant damage to the KFA but also create waves in the international football community."
