This image captured from news footage from Yonhap News TV shows Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo (L) pushing his player Oh Hu-seong after the first half of a K League 1 match against Gimcheon Sangmu FC at Gwangju World Cup Stadium in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 5, 2025. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean football league said Wednesday it will consider opening disciplinary proceedings against a coach for shoving a player in an on-field meltdown.
The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said it was reviewing an incident involving Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo and one of his players, Oh Hu-seong, during a K League 1 match against Gimcheon Sangmu FC at Gwangju World Cup Stadium in the southern city of Gwangju on Monday, the Children’s Day holiday.
As the players were walking off the field at the end of the first half, Lee charged off the bench and screamed at Oh to come see him. Gwangju FC captain Lee Kang-hyun tried to hold back the coach, but the bench boss shoved him aside and made a beeline for Oh.
Coach Lee then angrily grabbed Oh by his left arm and pointed at a spot on the field, apparently reminding the midfielder of an earlier mistake, and then pushed Oh with both hands. The two headed to the locker room without looking at each other.
Oh had scored in the 15th minute, and Gwangju held on to win by 1-0. Lee embraced Oh after the match.
Lee was especially criticized for losing his cool in front of thousands of young fans in the stands and more watching on television on Children’s Day.
A K League official said a report from the Gwangju match is under review.
“We will decide whether the situation warrants a penalty or simply guidance,” the official said.
Lee has had success with Gwangju FC since taking over the team for the 2022 season. They won the K League 2 title in Lee’s first season to earn promotion to the K League 1 and then finished in third place in their first season in the top division in 2023.
Gwangju FC qualified for the 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite tournament and reached the quarterfinals as an underdog.
Lee, 49, has also been known as an emotional coach who has at times crossed the line with angry outbursts, and he has had some testy exchanges with reporters at press conferences too. Prior to the AFC Champions League Elite quarterfinal match against Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia last month, Lee used some vulgar language when asked to predict how the match would play out.
In his postmatch interview Monday, Oh said it was his fault that Lee was so upset because he didn’t execute the coach’s instructions properly.
When asked about the incident at his own press conference, Lee defended his action.
“My image is not important at all. If my action looked bad, then there’s nothing I can do about it,” Lee said. “I have to take the responsibility for it. But for the club and the player, I had to send a strong message there.”
While Lee and Gwangju FC kept mum on the incident, Oh took to social media late Wednesday to reveal that Lee had apologized to him for his action and also to dispel rumors of discord between the two.
In an Instagram post, Oh also wrote that in the immediate aftermath of Monday’s match, he and the coach had agreed to take some time to cool down and wait until they each had a better understanding of the situation.
“That moment came today, and although I’d expected us to talk about who was right and wrong, the coach admitted to his mistake first and said he will be better,” Oh wrote. “He offered a heartfelt apology. It must not have been easy for him to do so, and I was really grateful that he understood the situation from my perspective.”
Oh added that he wasn’t so naive as to believe his social media posting alone would put an end to the controversy.
“The match was played on Children’s Day and a lot of fans watched it,” Oh wrote. “As a professional athlete, I am truly sorry that something that should never have happened occurred that day. I will make sure there won’t be a repeat of something like that.”
Oh came to Lee’s defense and said fans won’t need to worry that Lee might have lost the locker room after this incident.
“We are all grown-ups and professional athletes. We don’t just blindly follow any leader,” Oh wrote. “When the coach gets emotional, he can be really fiery. But there are times when he is just like our friend or brother.”
(Yonhap)
