The 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, remains one of the most controversial tournaments in recent history due to several questionable refereeing decisions, particularly in matches involving South Korea. Below are the key incidents and allegations surrounding the tournament:
### Controversial Matches
**Italy vs South Korea (Round of 16)**
– Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno made several contentious calls favoring South Korea.
– He awarded a dubious early penalty to South Korea.
– Disallowed a legitimate goal by Italy’s Damiano Tommasi.
– Sent off Italy’s star player, Francesco Totti, for an alleged dive in extra time.
**Spain vs South Korea (Quarter-finals)**
– Egyptian referee Gamal Al-Ghandour disallowed two legal goals by Spain.
– Spain was eliminated after a penalty shootout.
### Conspiracy Theories
– FIFA was accused of favoring the host nation to boost Asian football’s profile.
– Italian and Spanish media were outraged, with Spain’s sports newspaper *Marca* running the headline “Robbery.”
– Statisticians calculated the probability of one team benefiting from five officiating errors in consecutive matches as extremely low.
### FIFA’s Response
– FIFA President Sepp Blatter rejected any claims of favoritism, stating there was no conspiracy to keep South Korea in the tournament. He insisted the tournament would proceed as planned, with the final in Yokohama.
### Aftermath
– Byron Moreno, the referee in the Italy match, was later suspended for 20 matches in Ecuador for adding excessive injury time in a domestic game. He was also arrested in 2010 for attempting to smuggle heroin into the USA.
– Gamal Al-Ghandour retired shortly after the World Cup amid accusations of accepting gifts from the Korean Football Association.
– The 2002 World Cup continues to spark debate, particularly regarding the integrity of the officiating in South Korea’s matches. The controversy highlighted the need for better refereeing standards and accelerated discussions on using technology to assist officials in football.
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