World Cup memories - Byron Moreno and Korea’s “luck”
South Korea’s progress to the semi-finals at World Cup 2002 was shrouded in controversy. The Koreans seemed to “benefit” from a number of refereeing decisions. Suspicions were raised further after Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno, who officiated the Korean’s second round clash with Italy, was handed a 20-match domestic ban after adding on 12 minutes of injury time during a match between Liga de Quito and Barcelona in September 2002. The home team took advantage and scored in the 99th and 101st minutes to win 4-3. At the time Moreno was a candidate in elections for Quito’s city council Moreno and was accused of mixing sport and politics by Guayaquil-based Barcelona. He returned in May 2003 but was given another one-match ban after sending off three Deportivo Quito players during their match at Deportivo Cuenca.
FIFA obviously has a vested interest in ensuring the “progress” of the home team - it helps to guarantee the tournament’s success and that the stadia remain full. We await to see whether Germany will be granted any favours. With Michael Ballack troubled by injury and a dearth of talent, Germany could do with similar decisions to those in the video below…
