In the month since the opening of the K League in the 2024 season, it has been revealed that “unapproved” video managers (RO·Replay operators) have been deployed in as many as six games.
RO is a position that immediately reads the flow of the game in the video review operation room (VOR) and provides a video related to the referee’s decision to the VAR referee. Therefore, it is possible to perform actual work only after being qualified through theoretical education and practical tests suggested by FIFA.
According to the RO allocation status obtained by Spotify News up to the third and third rounds of this year’s K-League 1 and K-League 2, a total of six unauthorized persons who violated the rules were deployed. This figure also excludes the first round, in which VAR records were not prepared.
In the case of the K-League 1, it was the Pohang Steelers-Daegu FC (3-1) that took place in the second round. In the K-League 2, five matches were confirmed, including Asan-Buchon FC in South Chungcheong Province (1-1), E-Land-Suwon Samsung in Seoul (2-1), Cheonan City FC-Seongnam FC (0-0), Bucheon-Seoul E-E-Land (1-0), and Cheongju-FC Anyang in North Chungcheong Province (1-1).
RO, who has not completed the curriculum proposed by FIFA in parts 1 and 2, is in charge of the position. For this reason, it is pointed out that VAR is inexperienced in reading and takes a long time to make a final decision. In fact, the referee on the ground is seeing a lot of trouble while communicating with the VAR referees this season.
The reason why unapproved ROs are assigned is due to a lack of personnel. From this year, the company in charge of K-League VAR operation has changed. In the changed place, unqualified people are being deployed because they do not have enough ROs approved through FIFA’s curriculum.
There are 12 people who have approved RO qualifications in Korea, with eight affiliated with existing companies. The new company has four RO qualifications. The K-League schedule is divided into Saturday and Sunday, with six matches for one to two parts per day. It is impossible to deal with it with an official pool of four RO personnel.
There was enough time to come up with an alternative. In the case of Korea, it is a model case for VAR operation, so it can be approved without going through the formal process of FIFA. If you complete theoretical and practical training organized by two people who are qualified as full-time VAR instructors from FIFA, you can qualify yourself.
However, there was no training required for the RO approval process for a new company. According to the report, the last VAR and RO training was held in November last year in Ulsan under the theme of an existing company. Opinions were raised that there was no additional RO approval procedure this year. Last month, judges raised questions about the RO approval, which had been tested before the opening, as the theoretical training of about an hour and a half in Cheonan was all about.
“If you look at the rulebook, it doesn’t matter that the number of judgments is increased due to VAR. However, it should never be allowed for RO to fail to provide a decision screen quickly,” an official said. “RO is not only involved in the decision, but is in charge of the overall part. In terms of broadcasting, it is like a PD. Instead of touching the machine, the referee demands the desired video. RO should provide accurate information for the decision.”
If the RO is inexperienced, not only will the time spent on the judgment be extended, but if the appropriate video is not displayed, it can have a great influence on the judgment. Even the referee cannot stop and wait for the game, so he has no choice but to move on to the proceeding of the game. It will have a negative impact on the result.
Another official who knows the atmosphere at the scene said, “Even among the judges, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the delay because the ROs do not receive a response immediately when they ask for a specific scene. It seems that the ROs do not immediately understand the referee’s request.”
The K-League is enjoying immense popularity this season. Following last year’s fever, which exceeded 3 million spectators in total in the first and second parts of the league, the K-League has been attracting clouded spectators since the beginning of the season. However, preparations to maintain high interest in VARs have left much to be desired. Notably, with regard to VARs managed by the Korea Professional Football Association, system problems ranging from technical difficulties to lack of security personnel are being highlighted. 밤알바
Earlier, the Korea Professional Football Referees’ Council sent an official letter on the VAR issue that occurred in the first round to the referee management team of the Korea Football Association. The Professional Footballers’ Association also voiced concern over the controversy over the VAR system. Under these circumstances, the deployment of unqualified personnel into RO, which overlooked the importance of managing professional manpower, could pose a bigger problem. Moreover, it was found that a foreign official from Hawkeye, a VAR equipment company, who accompanied him until the third round, also returned. This is why the professional soccer federation has to solve the unqualified RO issue as soon as possible.