By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
Controversy is mounting over a second yellow card brandished to two of the K-League's high-profile players for what has been described as an ''excessive'' goal celebration.
Pohnag Steelers' Macedonian forward Pnctnk Ristik Tebnlia Stevica was cautioned in his team's season opener against Suwon BlueWings in Suwon on March 7.
The former international celebrated his first goal of the season by mocking an archer drawing a bow in front of the Suwon fans. But he had already picked up a yellow card in an earlier incident and the referee chose to issue a second, which left him with no choice but to show Stevica a red.
One week later, Jeonbuk Motors striker Lee Dong-gook suffered a similar fate. He kicked a corner flag after scoring his second goal of the match against Daegu FC at his team's home ground in Jeonju, Sunday. Lee, who had also already picked up a yellow card, was given his marching orders by the referee.
The K-League later announced that Lee received the punishment for ''unsportsmanlike behavior.'' Debate is now raging over whether it is actually the officiating that is ''excessive."
``We cannot understand that (the celebration) is unsportsmanlike behavior,'' Motors spokesman Sohn Ji-hoon told The Korea Times.
``Lee just kicked the flag slightly, and he made it stand right after the celebration. It is just a goal celebration,'' Sohn said. The Steelers have also called into question the level of punishment meted out by the match officials in the case of Stevica.
``Stevo did not use any bad language toward the Suwon fans, and I do not think it was offensive behavior,'' Steelers manager Sergio Ricardo De Paiva Farias told reporters after the match. ``I am not sure he did something bad enough to warrant a yellow card.''
Coincidently, it was the same official who issued the yellow cards in both cases: Go Gum-bok. He has served as a K-League referee since 2002. ``A player should have manners, even it is a celebration,'' the 39-year-old said. ``Personally, I am very sorry that players were ejected, but I am sure that it is good for the K-League, as well as the players who will play in international matches,'' Go said.
For its part, the K-League says it is toeing the line of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). ``It is an international standard. We observe the laws of FIFA,'' K-League competition department manager Shin Myung-joon told The Korea Times. ``If we do not issue yellow cards, young players would follow them in international matches.''
In the past, controversy has raged in other countries over apparently inappropriate goal celebrations. The professional leagues in Europe are classic examples.
``I remember a player who was banned for nine months when he kicked spectators, though that was more to do with the abuse he was taking than a goal celebration,'' said Scottish football fan Bryan Kay, who lives in Korea. ``Another player was suspended because he imitated the snorting of cocaine.
``I think a yellow is okay, but a red is harsh. If a player hasn't been given a card yet, then to show him a yellow is fine. But to give him another after he has one already is harsh, because then he must go off. Referees should exercise discretion in such instances,'' Kay added.
The latest cases are not the first time in Korea that goal celebrations have become an issue among football fans. Former FC Seoul forward Park Chu-young's ``prayer'' celebration was a hot topic when he debuted in the K-League in 2005. Some claimed that it was embarrassing, while others said he had the right to show his beliefs.
``I respect players' right to express their emotions,'' Honam University football studies professor Jang Jae-hoon told The Korea Times. ``However, they are professional players. Pro sports exist through fan support. In that sense, players also need to respect the fans' emotions.''