The K-League referee also holds the microphone and explains the VAR decision...Korea Football Association will test-run the Ansan E-Land match on the 13th → officially introduce it in August

Jul 10, 2025

The K-League referee also holds the microphone and explains the VAR decision...Korea Football Association will test-run the Ansan E-Land match on the 13th → officially introduce it in August
photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association



The Korea Football Association and the Korea Professional Football Federation will start preparing for the introduction of VAR Public Announcement (VARPA) as a result of the VAR reading in the K-League. Starting with the pilot operation of the K League 2 Ansan-E-Land match to be held at Ansan Wa Stadium on the 13th, the company plans to gradually expand its introduction.

VARPA is a system in which the referee makes a decision through an on-field review and then directly explains the reason for the decision to the audience through the stadium speaker, and is being introduced in stages in major leagues around the world, including FIFA, with the aim of strengthening transparency and communication of the decision.

After applying VARPA for the first time at the 2023 Club World Cup, FIFA also operated the system at the 2023 Women's World Cup and the 2025 Club World Cup. The U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) also introduced VARPA from 2023, and the German Bundesliga is set to officially introduce the 2025-2026 season after a trial operation in the 2024-2025 season. England also introduced it on a trial basis from the semifinals of the Carabao Cup, and the English Premier League is discussing introduction from the 2025-2026 season.




In line with this trend, the association and the federation have been jointly discussing how to operate VARPA since April with the aim of introducing it within this season, and conducted the first training for the K-League referees on June 26. The association is in charge of training and manual maintenance, and the federation is in charge of building stadium equipment to continue preparations for introduction.

Through this exhibition game, the association plans to verify the technical completeness and operability of VARPA in actual game conditions, and to specify the scope and method of full-scale introduction in the future.

Judgment training for the introduction of VARPA will continue from July to August, and a judgment briefing method using wireless microphones is also being considered in stadiums where equipment is not complete.




Kim Dong-ki, the head of the referee team at the association, said "The introduction of VARPA is an attempt to enhance the understanding and trust of fans and media about the decision, but there are parts that need to be preceded in order to introduce it in earnest, such as refereeing education and stadium facilities and equipment.""Based on the results of the pilot operation, we plan to finalize the scope and timing of the introduction through consultation with the Professional Football Federation ""



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.