KFA Petitions Over Laser Beam Incident
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
The Korea Football Association (KFA) has lodged a petition with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) over an incident during the national team's recent match with Saudi Arabia when goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae was repeatedly blinded by a laser beam from within the crowd.
The KFA also took the action to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after Lee was hit with the green beam three times during the Group B World Cup qualifying match in the Saudi capital Riyadh Nov. 20.
During the match, Lee complained to the referee that the rays were temporarily paralyzing his sight for up to three seconds at a time.
``Disturbing competitors apparently violates the fair play sprit of FIFA. We bring a lawsuit (to make sure) this incident does not occur again.'' a KFA spokesperson said.
In a similar incident, Japan also presented a petition to FIFA after its players were hit by laser beams during a World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain Sept. 6.