AFC Women's Asian Championship: Video Assistant Referees make its debut in India

The quarter-final of the AFC Women's Asian Championship of Japan vs Thailand is the first Indian match to use Video Assistant Referee.

Shreya GhoshFebruary 2, 2022 at 01:26 PM2 min read
AFC Women's Asian Championship: Video Assistant Referees make its debut in India
The quarter-final of the AFC Women's Asian Championship of Japan vs Thailand is the first Indian match to use Video Assistant Referee.

The quarter-final of the AFC Women's Asian Championship between Japan and Thailand is the first Indian match to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. Japan thrashed Thailand with a stunning 7-0 win and booked the semi-final ticket in the AFC Women's Asian Championship.

Just before the quarter-final match, an announcement was made that the tournament will witness the use of VAR technology from the knockout matches. Though the technology was not that impactful for any important decisions, it surely marked a historical move in Indian football.

In the next match in Pune, the technology proved to be quite helpful. According to a VAR check, Korean Republic received a penalty, but Cho So-hyun could not net the goal. In the second half, there was once again a penalty check when Steph Catley seemed to have been pushed inside the box. But the VAR technology did not indicate any penalty. After some time, Ji So-yun netted the winning goal and defeated Australia 1-0.

How the VAR works:

6 video match officials have the access to 7 different live cameras for inspecting every live-action of the field of the ongoing AFC Women's Asian Championship. Also, the VAR technology will review these 4 categories of decisions; goal/ no goal, penalty/ no penalty, Direct red card, and Mistaken identity while showing a red or yellow card.

The on-field referee will work along with the VAR official to take these decisions. Also, either 2 of the above-mentioned can initiate the review of decisions. In fact, the VAR official can ask the on-field referee to reverse their decisions. Meanwhile, the on-field referee can also initiate an On-Field Review (OFR) by slowing the match and then reviewing the screen footage. As a matter of fact, the on-field referee can choose to ignore the VAR's advice.

Shreya Ghosh

Shreya Ghosh is an experienced content writer with a specialization in sports, food, travel, and entertainment. With over four years of experience, she has a knack for crafting engaging stories that blend insights with creativity, keeping readers hooked. Her passion for storytelling shines through in every piece she writes.

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