VAR Cannot be Used in Ghana at the Moment : The Ghana Football Association (GFA) could use a less expensive version of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the Ghana Premier League and other competitions as FIFA works to make sure the technology is used by majority of it’s member associations.
According to the GFA’s General Secretary, Prosper Harrison Addo, FIFA is working on a less expensive version of VAR that could be used in Ghana.
“It is not true that FIFA has written to us about VAR. We were on a project to do VAR, but the VAR that is approved by FIFA is very expensive,” said Addo in an interview with Accra-based Angel FM.
“It is not just about bringing the machine, but you will train people, train referees, and the setup is heavy and expensive.
So, at the last congress in Rwanda, the FIFA President himself said that FIFA is going to develop another version that will be less expensive,” he added.
“We are on that project with FIFA, and they haven’t written to us that we should do live matches at all centres,” continued Addo.
The GFA hopes that the introduction of VAR will help officials make better decisions during matches.
The technology has been used in top football leagues around the world, including the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A.
The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who reviews decisions made by the referee.
The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) is a current or former referee appointed to assist the VAR in the video operation room.
The responsibilities of the AVAR include watching the live action on the field while the VAR is undertaking a “check” or a “review”, to keep a record of reviewable incidents, and to communicate the outcome of a review to broadcasters.
Following extensive trialling in a number of major competitions, VAR was formally written into the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on March 3, 2018.
Operating under the philosophy of “minimal interference, maximum benefit”, the VAR system seeks to provide a way for “clear and obvious errors” and “serious missed incidents” to be corrected.
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