Video Assistant Referee may be introduced in AFC Asian Cup after FIFA World Cup

The VAR is a decision review technology which assists the on-field referee in better decision making. There are four types of decisions that can be reviewed through the VAR. Goals and whether there was a violation during the attacking phase of play, such as an offside or a foul, penalty decisions (other fouls are not reviewable, except the following), direct red card decisions (second yellow cards are not reviewable) and mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card. 

“Asian football is determined to embrace technology for the good of the game and we are looking into the introduction of VAR at some stage during the AFC’s pinnacle competition,” Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa was quoted as saying by the AFP.

“We saw the VAR first-hand during the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia and it was clear to everyone that there needed to be a great deal of training of officials and investment in facilities to make sure that the system was effective and a positive addition to the game.”

The UAE was announced as the host for the tournament in 2015. For the first time, the Asian Cup final tournament will be contested by 24 teams.

The Asian Football Confederation also stated that it “plans” to use the technology in the UAE after “pending final confirmation that all necessary preparation is in place”.