Despite initial criticism over the use of the Video Assistant Referee or VAR system in football refereeing, the system is now used in over 100 competitions worldwide. The system is also introduced in the country with the start of the Bhutan Premier League 2023 season. However, the one used in the country does not have the full-fledged components of a VAR system. According to Bhutan Football Federation, the system is being introduced to further enhance and promote fairness in football matches.
The decision to introduce the VAR system came after the football clubs requested technological intervention due to repeated issues from the refereeing department in the past season of the Bhutan Premier League.
According to Bhutan Football Federation, the system will play a crucial role in matches, providing referees with access to video replays to review and validate crucial incidents during the game.
Though the one used in Bhutan has only a few components of the actual VAR system, the federation aims to use it to review penalty decisions and red card incidents, which have previously sparked controversies.
“It is really difficult for the referees to see all the decisions on-field as they are tired as well. They tend to make mistakes, which may cost the clubs the championship. So, VAR will give the referees a clear picture if they have a doubt during the match,” said Phuntsho Wangdi, the head of Media and Marketing of the Bhutan Football Federation.
The initiative is also receiving a positive response from the football coaches of the clubs participating in the Bhutan Premier League.
“I hope that the introduction of the VAR system will bring about significant improvement in decision-making in the matches. In the past, referees had to make instant decisions, which were not always accurate. With the use of this technology, I hope to see a reduction in conflicts between officials and players, as well as between match officials and coaches,” said Kinley Dorji, the coach of Transport United FC.
As the system is an internet-based and relatively new technology, the Bhutan Football Federation says that they are still in the process of familiarising themselves with its functionality. However, the system has been used in all the Bhutan Premier League matches so far, this season.
The federation says the cost of the full-fledged VAR system remains a challenge for the federation. The cost of the actual VAR system is over Nu 245 M according to the federation; however, the one used in the league currently was purchased at around Nu 4 M.
The federation said that FIFA agreed to donate the remaining components of the system.
Internationally, the VAR system was first used during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. It is now used in the top five leagues in Europe among other football competitions.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Kipchu
