FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: VAR to debut in India edition
The Video Assistant Referee technology has been used in domestic leagues across the world and has been used in FIFA events since the 2018 World Cup.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be in use for the first time in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup 2022 to be held in India from October 11-30.
VAR has been used across football leagues over the past few years and was first used in a FIFA World Cup during the 2018 edition.
“We are very happy that, also for the first time, VAR technology will be used at a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. This event will be another great opportunity to showcase the skills of the appointed VARs,” said Kari Seitz, FIFA’s head of refereeing for women.
The VAR is a video match official who will review incidents like a goal, awarding of a penalty, offsides and fouls.
If the VAR feels there is a clear and obvious error made by the on-field match referee, they can recommend an on-field review. The final decision still rests with the match referee.
Violations like offside are identified by the VAR without an on-field review.
FIFA also announced a list of 14 female referees, 28 female assistant referees, three support referees and 16 video match officials who will take charge of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India.
India earned back the rights to host the tournament after FIFA lifted the suspension on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) last week.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 will be held at three venues - the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the JLN Stadium in Margao, Goa and the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
This is the second time that an international tournament held in India will have VAR technology. It was also used from the quarter-final stage of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup earlier this year.