Gwangju lost 0-1 to Gangwon in the Hana Bank K League 1 2025 Round 15 home match held at Gwangju World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 25th. As a result, Gwangju remained in 6th place with 22 points (6 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses). This defeat marked Gwangju's fourth consecutive loss to Gangwon.

The turning point of the match came in the second half of injury time. Gangwon's Kim Do-hyun was involved in a ball contest with Gwangju defender Jo Sung-kwon inside the penalty box. A handball foul by Jo was called, and after a VAR on-field review, the referee awarded a penalty kick. Kim Dong-hyun, who took the penalty, struck the corner of the goal to score the winning goal.

For Gwangju, it was a particularly disappointing defeat. In the second half alone, including a crucial opportunity from Park In-hyuk, consecutive shots from Asani and Hayes were thwarted by goalkeeper Lee Kwang-yeon, breaking their momentum. Gwangju struggled with decisiveness throughout the match and lost valuable points just before the final whistle due to a VAR decision.

It was not just the team's performance that weighed down on Gwangju. In an official pre-match interview, head coach Lee Jeong-hyo said, "I have not received clear information about whether Asani can be registered as a player," adding, "It's difficult to know which players can be used right now." He further stated, "It's extremely frustrating. Not only is preparation for the summer transfer market unclear, but the current management of the player roster is also uncertain."

In reality, Gwangju is currently facing a player registration ban due to the non-payment of FIFA's solidarity contribution. Despite having paid the solidarity contribution, transfers were repeatedly rejected due to account errors and the absence of responsible staff, leading to the registration of 10 players in the winter transfer market without this knowledge. FIFA is currently reviewing whether to impose sanctions on Gwangju due to the eligibility issues of these players. The possibility of nullifying the match has also been mentioned, shaking the entire league.

The controversy spread due to the response of the Korea Football Association. Executive Director Kim Seung-hee explained at a press conference on the 21st that "due to administrative errors that were not intentional, we considered the stability of the league and the protection of the players so that their efforts would not go to waste," but this statement led to criticism that it prioritizes "emotion over regulations."

Other league clubs have raised issues regarding fairness. In the K League system, where all teams must compete under the same regulations, providing exceptions for a specific team due to 'administrative errors' undermines the very foundation of fairness. Notably, the automatic compensation system through the 'clearing house' that FIFA implemented in 2022 is being applied to thousands of clubs worldwide, and allowing exceptions for Korean football, claiming it is 'in the process,' is criticized as not meeting international standards.

Lee Jeong-hyo remarked, "I told the players to focus only on what we can do. We need a commitment not to be shaken for the sake of the fans," but Gwangju was unable to fully overcome the external pressures on that day.

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