The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is ready to turn out to be a actuality in domestic membership competitions from the 2025-26 season, heralding a game-changing benefit for each Indian Super League and I-League groups, All India Football Federation (AIFF) performing Secretary General M Satyanarayan mentioned on Saturday.
The VAR expertise, which was first used in FIFA occasions in 2016-17, helps the decision-making means of the referee in 4 game-changing conditions: targets and offences main as much as a purpose, penalty choices and offences main as much as a penalty, direct crimson card incidents, and mistaken identification.
Many international locations throughout the globe used VAR in their domestic membership competitions after it was first launched in Australia and the United States.
“There will be a big decision on the introduction of VAR very soon. We are doing a study on that,” AIFF performing Secretary General M Satyanarayan informed PTI in an interview.
“Introducing it next season might be difficult for the simple reason that FIFA has to approve the technology, there is a process. More than just getting the equipment, training of personnel takes a lot of time.”
“It can be 2025-2026 season, but you never know. Even if we start now (the process), it will take a minimum of 18 to 20 months (to complete it),” added Mr. Satyanarayan, who turned the performing Secretary General on November 9 after the elimination of Shaji Prabhakaran on “breach of trust”.
Implementing VAR expertise will incur vital prices for the AIFF, however Mr. Satyanarayan emphasised the potential advantages for the Indian golf equipment.
“We have to see where the money is going to come from. But ultimately, it’s the clubs of the ISL and I-League (which are going to benefit).
The margins of victory or loss are sometimes 5 to 8%, so we can get better results (with the use of VAR),” he mentioned.
Throughout a match, the VAR staff continuously checks for clear and apparent errors associated to 4 match-changing conditions.
The VAR staff communicates with the on-field referee just for clear and apparent errors or severe missed incidents.
But it’s finally the on-field referee who will take a name whether or not he wants assist from the VAR.
Technically, the VAR has made its debut in a domestic event in March this 12 months throughout the Santosh Trophy third-place classification match between Services and Punjab on the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The semifinals and the ultimate of the final version of the nationwide championships had been held in Saudi Arabia.
The VAR expertise was used on Indian soil on two events earlier — throughout the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in January-February 2022 from the quarterfinal stage and the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in October final 12 months.
FIFA-AIFF Academy, a large step
Former Arsenal supervisor and FIFA’s present Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger will inaugurate the FIFA-AIFF academy in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
Terming this a “giant step”, Mr. Satyanarayan mentioned: “This is part of FIFA’s talent identification programme. Under-14 boys will be under the care of FIFA coaches for two years.”
“President (Kalyan Chaubey) has said we want at least five such academies. For a country like India, we need more academies, five is a good number and we are looking for one of these to be for girls.”
“This is a two-year project initially. The programme can also continue. Seeing the potential, FIFA would like to continue,” added the previous Secretary of Karnataka State Football Association.
Odisha authorities will maintain the boarding, lodging, lodging and training of the gamers and FIFA will present the technical understand how and the coaches.
FIFA has really useful Sergi Amezcua Fontrodona — who was beforehand concerned with creating soccer in China as undertaking director — to be the academy head coach for 2 years and an Indian will help him for just a few months.
A overseas assistant coach will likely be appointed in four-five months.
“They (the coaches) will initially select 30 under-14 boys for two years and they will train for 340 days in a year. Their education, accommodation and everything will be taken care of.
“We have simply completed nationwide sub-junior championships, we had spotters throughout. They have recognized 60 to 70 gamers. Some of the I-League golf equipment, their junior groups will even have gamers. All of them will get on to the paces and choice will occur.”
He said more talented players can be added later through talent scouting.
“It isn’t that when collection of gamers is completed, it’s closed. As and when the coaches discover any extremely proficient boys throughout the nation, we are able to at all times add them.”
2-week camp for Asian Cup
Head coach Igor Stimac has talked about the desirability of a four-week camp ahead of the Asian Cup beginning January 13, 2024 but with the ISL matches are scheduled till December 29, it could be a difficult proposition.
“We have to start out speaking with the golf equipment (largely ISL). Since we’re doing nicely (in 2026 World Cup qualifiers), this time they (golf equipment) might cooperate, hopefully,” said Mr. Satyanarayan.
“I feel the gamers can get minimal two weeks. That was what they (ISL golf equipment) had earlier promised. I feel Stimac was additionally OK with at the moment.”
India beat Kuwait
India beat Kuwait 1-0 in their away match of the 2026 second-round World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, raising hopes of making it to the third round for the first time.
“The consequence may be very encouraging. We beat Kuwait in Kuwait. There has been plenty of modifications underneath Stimac, on how the nationwide staff performs, the aggression and confidence the staff confirmed. They now not assume that they’re inferior. These are good indicators,” he signed off.
