Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Background and Timeline
Following the approval from FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), and in consultation with the AFC Competitions and Referees Departments, the AFC Executive Committee, on 26 September 2019, approved the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. The system was successfully introduced for the first time at the Quarter-Final stage of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. VAR has subsequently been implemented in both international and club AFC competitions.
Approval & Training
The AFC’s highly-acclaimed VAR courses, led by AFC’s VAR technical experts, continue to develop and train its elite referees while ensuring that match officials undergo the required training established by the VAR Implementation Assistance and Approval Programme (IAAP), which is overseen by the IFAB and FIFA. To ensure that the AFC can implement the VAR system according to the established protocols provided by the IFAB, the AFC has organized six courses and seminars since March 2017.