It is not something that can be resolved with Oh Hu-seong (26, Gwangju) taking over. Head coach Lee Jeong-hyo has crossed the line.

Gwangju FC won 1-0 against Gimcheon Sangmu in the 12th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 for the 2025 season held at Gwangju World Cup Stadium on the 5th. An incident occurred after the first half. Head coach Lee Jeong-hyo stormed onto the field and reprimanded Oh Hu-seong harshly, leading to an incident where he pushed him with both hands.

It was because Oh Hu-seong did not properly carry out the play he instructed. The players stepped in to stop head coach Lee Jeong-hyo. This was something that could have been addressed in the locker room, but head coach Lee lost his composure.

After the match, head coach Lee Jeong-hyo went further, saying, "I don't mind ruining my image to guide the players," making comments that could be perceived as a results-oriented mindset.

As the situation escalated, the person involved, Oh Hu-seong, posted an apology on social media. He said, "I don't think this issue will just pass as it has concluded. This match was held on Children's Day, and it was a game watched by many football fans during the holiday. I showed an unsatisfactory performance in a situation where I should have shown more good moments. I apologize."

Head coach Lee Jeong-hyo's passion was excessive. It is not the case that the fundamental problem has been resolved just because Oh Hu-seong and head coach Lee addressed it together. Head coach Lee used violence and abusive language toward a player in the middle of the field in front of everyone, especially young child fans. At that moment, it became not just an internal issue of Gwangju FC, but a public social problem. Accordingly, responsibility and punishment are inevitable.

The Korea Professional Football League noted, "We have heard the details of head coach Lee Jeong-hyo's actions from the match supervisor at the time. We have requested an official report from the Gwangju club. After reviewing the report, we plan to decide on whether to refer the case to the disciplinary committee."

The Korea Professional Footballers' Association responded, "We have received the incident report. We are reviewing whether there has been a violation of the player's human rights."

There have been cases in Japan's J League where an authoritarian attitude of a leader ultimately led to disciplinary action. Former Bellmare Shonan head coach Cho Gwi-je was revealed to have used abusive language and physical violence against some coaching staff and players in July 2019. This was the first case in the J League recognized as 'workplace bullying,' leading to a five-match suspension from the league office and his resignation.

Kim Myung-hwi, head coach of Sagan Tosu, has also been suspended for eight months for allegedly using violence and abusive language toward players. Both cases share the commonality of incidents arising while coaching players in a coercive Korean style in Japan.

Of course, the case of head coach Lee Jeong-hyo, who crossed the line due to overflowing passion, is not the same as Japan’s. The victim player is also appealing for leniency. However, an official apology from head coach Lee and disciplinary action from the league are inevitable.

[OSEN]