South Korea’s women’s football federation announced an investigation Monday over allegations a female referee insulted former Chelsea midfielder Ji So-yun during a domestic game by saying she was menstruating.
The incident happened on Friday in a WK League match between Ji’s Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall and saw the international booked after she confronted the official over the alleged comment.
“The federation’s position is that once the facts have been established necessary action should follow and practical measures should be introduced to prevent a recurrence,” said the Korea Women’s Football Federation (KWFF).
The 35-year-old Ji told South Korean sports outlet SPORTS-G that she heard the referee make the remark over the communication system used by the officials.
The incident was sparked when Ji demanded a penalty for her side.
After approaching the referee, Ji alleged the official said: “She’s been touchy since the start, she must be on her period.”
When Ji remonstrated she was booked.
The Korea Football Association’s refereeing department said the word “period” had not been used in the radio communication and that the remarks had not specifically referred to Ji, according to broadcaster SBS.
The KWFF said the term used was “girl’s day”, a euphemism referring to menstruation.
Suwon FC subsequently raised concerns and on Sunday formally asked the KWFF and the Korea Football Association (KFA) to “establish the facts and take appropriate action”.
The KWFF said: “The federation considers the issue to be directly related not only to the dignity and respect of players, but also to mutual respect and trust among league members and the fair operation of WK League matches.”
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