DOHA– South Korea’s national football governing body said Monday it lodged a complaint with FIFA following a crucial interpretation mistake during the national team’s official press conference on the weekend.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) added that FIFA acknowledged the importance of accurate interpretation in media operations and that it would take necessary steps to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.
The mishap took place during head coach Paulo Bento’s prematch press conference on Sunday, the eve of South Korea’s Group H match against Ghana. Bento has been speaking in his native Portuguese in Qatar, though he had been talking to South Korean journalists in English while in South Korea in the months leading up to the big tournament.
When asked about the status of two injured players, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Min-jae, Bento responded that Hwang would sit out Monday’s match but he would check Kim’s status Monday morning before making the call on his availability.
However, those words were misinterpreted into Korean and had both players ruled out for Monday. After some moments of confusion, Bento clarified in English that Kim would be a game time decision while Hwang was not going to play against Ghana.
During the World Cup, FIFA has been offering simultaneous interpretation services through a smartphone app, allowing journalists to use their own mobile devices. Transcripts and video of all official press conferences are made available afterward.
Source: Yonhap News Agency