Hyundai Capital’s men’s volleyball team has filed an official protest with the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) over a controversial call in the V-League finals.
On April 4, Hyundai Capital dropped Game 2 of the 2025–26 Jin Air V-League men’s championship (best-of-five) to Korean Air, 2–3 (23–25, 18–25, 26–24, 25–18, 18–16), in an away match at Incheon’s Gyeyang Gymnasium.
After losing Game 1 by the same score, Hyundai Capital now trails 0–2 in the series and faces mounting pressure heading into Game 3.
True to a title series, the match delivered a classic: Korean Air grabbed the first two sets before Hyundai Capital rallied to force a decisive fifth. The final set went back and forth through multiple deuces before Korean Air closed it out.
But the match wasn’t without controversy. In the fifth set, with Hyundai Capital leading 14–13, Leo delivered a thunderous serve that appeared to land on or near the line in Korean Air’s court.
Leo celebrated, believing he had scored the point and the match, but the officials ruled the ball out. Hyundai Capital requested a video review, and the call stood.
The V-League uses a local rule that differs from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) on in/out decisions. FIVB relies on Hawk-Eye to assess the ball’s contact surface, while the V-League follows KOVO Local Rule Guideline 4: officials evaluate whether the inner edge of the line is visible under maximum compression to determine in or out.
Even accounting for that local guideline, replay footage suggested the ball may have touched the line, which left Hyundai Capital with strong reservations. Head coach Philippe Blanc voiced his frustration at the postgame news conference, saying, “They stole our victory.” Korean Air, which eked out the win, also appeared unsettled by the finish.
Hyundai Capital submitted an official protest and a written complaint to KOVO on April 4.
A Hyundai Capital official told News1 the protest included photos documenting Leo’s serve and the in/out decision.
“This isn’t just about one serve,” the official said. “Earlier, a similar play went in Korean Air’s favor and they were awarded the point, but when a comparable ball landed on our side it was called out. The inconsistency is why we filed the protest.”
KOVO said it will conduct a post-match review of Leo’s serve on April 5.
A KOVO representative said, “We conduct post-match reviews the day after games regardless of protests,” and added that the federation will take any necessary action once the review is complete.
Game 3 between Korean Air and Hyundai Capital is scheduled for April 6 at 7 p.m. at Cheonan’s Yu Gwan-sun Gymnasium.
