'Establishment of a Referee Control Room' and other reforms to the Korea Football Association's referee organization are being pursued... aiming to enhance referee capabilities through merit-based assignments.

*This content was translated by AI.

• Government announces Sports Policy Vision 2030

In response to ongoing controversies over erroneous calls in professional soccer's K League, the government is pursuing a policy to 'enhance referee capabilities in professional soccer.'

According to the Sports Policy Vision 2030 released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 4th, the government has decided to first strengthen fairness in professional sports to build K-professional sports systems at a global level.

The initiative aims to elevate referee capabilities, create an environment that prevents misconduct, realize fair professional sports free from controversial judgments and unfair erroneous calls, and thereby enhance fan trust.

In particular, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has decided to specifically target 'professional soccer' to advance the enhancement of referees' capabilities.

The most notable change is the restructuring of the Korea Football Association's Referee Committee. To prevent erroneous call issues arising from the committee's sole decision-making authority, plans are in place to reform the referee organization by establishing a referee control room by next year.

Currently, the Referee Committee handles all aspects including referee assignments, operations, and disciplinary actions. However, under the new system, the newly established referee control room will manage assignments and training, while the Referee Committee will focus exclusively on operations and discipline, thereby dividing responsibilities and duties.

In this process, games will be assigned based primarily on merit using referee performance data, and amateur matches will be distributed evenly to allow more individuals to gain refereeing experience, ultimately cultivating them as candidates for professional referees.

Additionally, the government plans to establish a system for training international referees through courses certified by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA, maintaining the number of international referees at approximately 30.

Furthermore, the difficulty level for selecting referee evaluators will be increased, and a system for maintaining and managing these evaluators will be established to strengthen their capabilities.

An analysis system based on artificial intelligence (AI) and video technology will be gradually introduced, with a two-stage analysis framework leading from an electronic referee evaluation system to evaluation meetings scheduled to be completed by 2030.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.