Director of Qatar Football Association's (QFA) Arbitration Department Naji al-Juwaini has revealed that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be implemented soon after it made positive results at World Cup 2018 in Russia.

He said this measure is warranted especially because the world of football is changing and developing very quickly, and QFA and the Arbitration Department are constantly keeping pace with this development.

This came during the joint meeting held yesterday by the Arbitration Department, in the presence of the heads of the football clubs in the first and second divisions, the coaches and the leader of each team in addition to a player from each team.

During the meeting, al-Juwaini praised the Qatari referees and said they are doing their part and duty to achieve the required level locally and internationally. He indicated that the meeting aimed to discuss some of QFA's decisions, instructions, and regulations, in addition to shedding light on the new laws of the game.

The Director of QFA's Arbitration Department explained that the role of his department and the referees was to preserve the rights of clubs that bear large budgets for the development of the game. He said the Arbitration Department calls on the clubs for a friendly relationship so as to contribute jointly to the development of Qatari football, and the success of the arbitration and the Qatari referees, who are rated first class at the Asian level. He added that Qatari referees have continental and international presence, as Abdul Rahman al-Jassim was among the VAR referees, and Talib al-Marri was an assistant referee in 2018 World Cup in Russia. They were among the youngest referees of the World Cup 2018, which means that they have gained considerable experience at a young age.

Al-Juwaini said the referees will try their best to avoid mistakes, especially those that affect the results of the matches, noting that the referees make a great effort for the success of the game. He said referees accept criticism and work on the development of their skills, but in the end, the referee is a human being and everyone makes mistakes sometimes.

He also welcomed the holding of meetings between the Arbitration Department and the coaches and officials of the clubs to discuss topics that could lead to the development of Qatari football.

The video assistant referee (VAR) is a football assistant referee who reviews decisions made by the head referee with the use of video footage and a headset for communication.

In 2018, VARs were written into the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) following trials in a number of major competitions.

Related Story