Referees Committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), which met for the sixth time for the term 2021-2025 at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, on Monday, 27 May 2024, discussed the current situation in the implementation of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the Malaysian League, which is for the Liga Super Malaysia 2024/25 season.
After Match Day 1, 2 and 3, the implementation of VAR technology in the Super League competition was seen to be going smoothly where the assigned referees followed the protocol set by the International Football Federation (FIFA).
FAM is very concerned about referee performance and compliance with the FIFA VAR Protocol and FIFA Laws of the Game 2024/2025.
For that, every step and decision made is in line with the provisions mentioned in the VAR Protocol and the IAAP platform (Implementation Assistance and Approval Programme).
The FAM Referees Committee will also continue to monitor the performance of referees in the Malaysian League, especially matches that use VAR, in addition to taking various proactive measures to ensure that the performance of referees will continue to remain at an optimal level.
- VAR Match Analysis Data
The FAM Referee Unit has analyzed the performance of referees for 15 matches that have used VAR technology in the Super League starting from Match Day 1 to Match Day 3.
Based on the analysis, a total of 11 ‘On Field Reviews’ (OFR) have been conducted with an average OFR of 0.73 per match. This figure shows the current state of understanding of the VAR protocol possessed by the referees in the Malaysian League.
Modern football is more akin to the flow of matches and an OFR above an average of 3 in a match will reflect badly on the referee’s performance. This is the benchmark that is being used by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of VAR technology.
While the average Extra Time per match is 9.94 minutes.
For information, the OFR Video review is only made for match results that involve room for interpretation. This means that not all incidents require the referee to conduct an OFR or video review on the side of the field of play.
Most incidents are reviewed by VAR and incidents involving facts do not require OFR or video review except in certain situations only ‘Sell the Decision’.
The analysis of the match clearly shows that the referee’s performance as of Match Day 3 is at a level that is quite proud.
- Get to know VAR FAM Program
This Know the VAR program is a step and initiative of FAM in starting the process of disseminating information related to the VAR protocol that has just been implemented in the 2024-2025 Super League competition.
It aims to educate football fans in this country so that they can get a little bit of information and be able to understand things related to VAR considering that this is the first season of the Malaysian League to use this technology.
Through this program, FAM will upload information related to the VAR protocol and the latest VAR information. This Get to Know VAR program is a weekly series and will be managed by the FAM Referee Unit.
- ‘2nd Batch’ of VAR Training
FAM will also start the ‘2nd Batch’ of VAR training to increase the number of VAR referees. The Training Phase will start from August to December 2024. A total of 15 Referees, 15 Assistant Referees and 10 Replay Operators will be trained as VAR referees.
- VAR in Sabah
FAM will also conduct a training phase in Sabah using VAR Goal Sport technology to enable the VAR Goal Sport technology purchased by the party there to be used in matches at Likas Stadium, Kota Kinabalu. This training will start on 6 to 10 June 2024.
This effort needs to be done because the skill and presence of VAR referees is a key element in the implementation of VAR technology in the Malaysian League.
All matters regarding the use of VAR technology in the Malaysian League are under the supervision of FAM and adherence to the VAR protocol is prioritized.
- Post-Match Analysis ‘Post-Match Briefing’ and Pre-Match ‘Pre-Match Briefing’
The FAM Referee Unit has held a Post-Match Analysis for every match day played with VAR technology. This program runs every week on Wednesdays from 9:00pm to 10:30pm.
The selected video clips are related to strengthening and refining elements to guide the judges.
This session must be attended by all VAR referees and selected referee evaluators. This program aims to discuss issues related to ‘Penalty Area Incident’, ‘tactical foul’, ‘Red Card Incident’, ‘Handball’, ‘Offside’ and so on.
FAM is indeed very committed to the implementation of VAR technology in the Malaysian League and hopes that it can continue to be improved from time to time.
Credit Photo : HongZheng Lim/SNE-Photo
