VAR to be used in AFC Champions League from quarter-final stage

AFC Champions League logo. /VCG

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be used from the quarter-final stage of the 2020 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League, Asia's football governing body said on Monday.

The technology was first used in Asian football last year from the last-eight stage of the AFC Asian Cup held in the United Arab Emirates.

It was then successfully implemented across all 32 games of the AFC under-23 championship in Thailand in January and is set to be introduced in AFC club competitions for the first time.

The AFC Champions League, Asia's elite club competition, was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rest of the games will be staged in two places, resuming in Qatar on September 14 and then Malaysia on October 16.

To implement the VAR system, the AFC has organized numerous VAR courses and seminars since March 2017, and has been given support from FIFA and IFAB.

In addition, a virtual AFC VAR Information Officer workshop will be organized on August 26, 2020 to ensure referees are aware of the latest developments.

The VAR system is limited to four game-changing decisions or incidents, specifically goal or no goal, penalty-kicks, direct red cards and mistaken identity decisions.

(With input from agencies)