VAR likely in domestic competitions from 2025-26 season: AIFF

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The Video Assistant Referee is set to become a reality in domestic club competitions from the 2025-26 season, heralding a game-changing advantage for both Indian Super League and I-League teams, All India Football Federation acting Secretary General M Satyanarayan said on Saturday.

The VAR technology, which was first used in FIFA events in 2016-17, supports the decision-making process of the referee in four game-changing situations: goals and offences leading up to a goal, penalty decisions and offences leading up to a penalty, direct red card incidents, and mistaken identity.

Many countries across the globe used VAR in their domestic club competitions after it was first introduced 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 acting Secretary General M Satyanarayan told 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 became the acting Secretary General on November 9 after the removal of Shaji Prabhakaran on "breach of trust".

Implementing VAR technology will incur significant costs for the AIFF, but Mr. Satyanarayan emphasised the potential benefits for the Indian clubs.