Football

Vietnamese referees participate in VAR training course in Hà Nội. Photo of VPF

HÀ NỘI -- Vietnamese referees are taking part in a training course on video assistant referee (VAR) technology that is expected to apply in the national football league in the 2023-24 season.

The course, from February 20 to March 6 in Hà Nội, sees the participation of 18 referees and referee assistants. 

The learners will familiarize themselves with VAR technology on the simulation system. 

FIFA lecturers will conduct the course online with support of Vietnamese experts. Learners will be guided how to handle different situations. 

The VAR training course is conducted by FIFA expert Hakan Anaz through online with support of four Vietnamese lecturers.

 "A group of 18 referees are selected for this first course. They are four FIFA-certificated referees, 12 national ones and two FIFA referee assistants," said Đặng Thanh Hạ, head of the Việt Nam Football Federation's Referee Department.

"In 14 days, they will be made familiar with the equipment, learn how to analyse 75 situations from video clips given by FIFA. They then practise doing their job via what they have learnt. When VAR is applied, in real games, in addition to four referees on the field, there are one VAR referee, one VAR referee assistant and one technician in the laboratory," he said.

The Việt Nam Professional Football Company Chairman Trần Anh Tú shared the presence of VAR in Việt Nam's professional matches was the dream of all football officials.

In the first course, referees will work on level-1 situation. The next levels will be in the following courses. VAR will be carried out in Việt Nam's football fields when our referees do their job well at all training courses and pass the FIFA's tests.

Meanwhile head of the V-League organising committee Nguyễn Minh Ngọc said after the training course in the lab, learners would continue in the next courses following FIFA's requirement.

It is expected that the technology will be used from the 2023-24 season, according to Ngọc.

Since 2019, VPF has contacted FIFA asking for VAR advisory and instruction as well as procedures to apply VAR in Việt Nam. VPF also consulted about the application of VAR in Thailand before bringing it to Việt Nam.

By the end of March and early April, a VAR-level 2 training course is expected to be held during which referees will work on more complicated 3-5 minute situations while in May or June, they will conduct VAR in unofficial matches.

VAR equipment has been imported and there will be two VAR laboratories, one in the North and one in the South region. 

FIFA experts will make their final assessment and give certificates to Vietnamese VAR labs if they reach the standards.

The technology will be applied officially when FIFA approves all procedures on VAR lab technique and referee training processes.

When VAR is on, VPF will not need to hire foreign referees to conduct important matches  while local referees will not shoulder heavy pressure. The tournament's fairness will be ensured while match quality will be improved. VNS