SBS 'Goal Strikers' directly addressed the controversy three days after it became embroiled in allegations of match-fixing and biased officiating.
The controversy began on the 2nd. The SBS 'Goal Strikers' fandom submitted a complaint to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requesting an investigation into possible biased officiating and manipulation related to the final match between FC Gucheokjangsin and FC Wonder Woman, which aired on August 27.
In that broadcast, Gucheokjangsin took the lead 2-0 with goals from Lee Hyejeong and Kim Jinkyung, and Wonder Woman's Mashima scored a consolation goal, but the match ended 2-1. Gucheokjangsin won the final, achieving its first league victory since its founding.
However, after the broadcast, viewers protested the referee's decisions, pointing out that the referee did not issue warnings for even level fouls by Gucheokjangsin. This was considered biased officiating.
Furthermore, according to the match record released by the 'Goal Strikers' team after the broadcast, Mashima received a warning in the 12th minute of the second half, but that segment was not aired, leading to questions about whether the warning was justified.
As a result, some raised suspicions that the winning team had been predetermined, along with claims that the referee's decisions were biased toward Gucheokjangsin, suggesting match-fixing.
Ultimately, a netizen officially reported the controversy over the officiating to the Korea Sport Ethics Center (K-SEC), stating, "Serious questions have been raised regarding the fairness of the officiating and application of rules concerning the 'Goal Strikers' G League final (broadcast on August 27). In particular, the 12th-minute warning noted in the match records was not disclosed in either the live broadcast or the official YouTube full version, and the lack of comprehensive disclosure of the applicable rules made post-event verification of the basis for the decisions difficult, which was pointed out as a core issue."
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ultimately forwarded the report to the Korea Sport Ethics Center (K-SEC). However, it is reported that they have not yet initiated a formal investigation into the allegations of biased officiating and broadcast manipulation.
As the controversy grew, the production team of SBS 'Goal Strikers,' who had maintained silence, also spoke up. On the 5th, the 'Goal Strikers' team stated to OSEN, "Due to the need to match the broadcast scheduling, some parts are omitted. However, the omitted parts do not hinder the flow of the match, and we are striving to conduct the games under fair rules and systems."
Meanwhile, this is not the first time 'Goal Strikers' has faced manipulation allegations. After it was revealed in 2021 that the order of goal scoring in some matches had been manipulated during editing, the production team was replaced.
At that time, the 'Goal Strikers' team apologized, saying, "Even if a variety show prioritizes entertainment value, changing the order of goal scoring exceeds the permissible limits. Therefore, we will replace the responsible producer and director to reorganize the production team and return to our original intentions."
[Photo] SBS
[OSEN]