KUALA LUMPUR: Although it was only a friendly, the standard of officiating during Malaysia's clash against China in Guangdong on Saturday has drawn fierce backlash from local football fans.
Supporters took to social media in droves to vent their frustration over several contentious decisions by South Korean referee Ko Hyung Jin, with some alleging that his calls favoured the hosts.
Among the major talking points were Hyung Jin's failure to award penalties for fouls on Dion Cools and Ramadhan Saifullah inside the box at the Zhaoqing New District Sports Centre Stadium.
In the 77th minute, forward Fergus Tierney thought he had reduced the deficit when Harimau Malaya were trailing 2-0, only for his effort to be ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
