Players’ Union Calls for Referee’s Expulsion After Alleged Sexual Harassment of Ji So-yun

The Korean Professional Footballers’ Association has demanded the removal of a referee after South Korea star Ji So-yun said she received a menstruation-related insult during a WK League match.

The incident occurred on the 28th at Suwon Sports Complex, during Suwon FC Women’s game against Seoul City Hall. Ji said she had been protesting a hard foul early in the match when she heard the referee say, “You seem sensitive from the start. You must be menstruating.”

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You seem sensitive from the start. You must be menstruating.

Ji said she challenged the remark by asking, “Teacher, what did you just say? If you say something like that, you deserve to be disciplined.” She said the referee then showed her a yellow card. Bae Seon-young, the match’s female head referee, initially denied making the comment, but reportedly later said it had been a remark exchanged among referees after Ji continued to object.

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Teacher, what did you just say? If you say something like that, you deserve to be disciplined.

Ji scored the decisive goal in the 29th minute of the second half, securing a 2-1 win for Suwon FC Women. However, the yellow card means she will miss the team’s next match because of accumulated cautions. Suwon FC Women plans to file a formal complaint with the Korea Women’s Football Federation, which said it would examine what happened.

The players’ union described the alleged comment as a human-rights violation and an abuse of refereeing authority, rather than a routine dispute over a decision. In a statement, it accused the referee of using cards, including a red card held in her hand, to suppress Ji’s protest. Union president Lee Keun-ho called the conduct unacceptable in any professional league, while secretary-general Kim Hoon-ki said players from Seoul City Hall also heard the remark and were shocked.

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The conduct of a referee who should protect players most closely, instead inflicting indelible shame on a specific player in front of both teams and wielding power with cards as a weapon to cover it up, is an atrocious act that no professional league anywhere in the world can tolerate.

The union called for an emergency committee, a transparent referee-assignment body free from outside interference and personal networks, and the referee’s referral to the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee’s Sports Fairness Committee. It also said it planned to share the case with FIFPRO, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, and would continue taking action until accountability and reform followed.

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We will not stand by any longer while players’ human rights and honor are trampled by abusive remarks from referees and irrational relationship-based football.