Women’s World Cup 2019 referees are undergoing training with VAR (video assistant referees) in Doha, hosted by the Qatar Football Association until February 15. Around 75 referees, including 27 match referees, 48 assistant referees, 13 VAR referees, including Qatari international referee Abdulrahman al-Jassim.
The seminar will be followed by three other referees’ conferences, to be held in the coming period under the supervision of Chairman of FIFA’s Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina and Swiss Head of FIFA Refereeing Massimo Busacca. Chairman of the Qatar Referees Committee and vice chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Hani Bllan and the Executive Director of Qatar Football Federation’s Arbitration Department Naji al-Juwaini will also take part in the seminars.
Al-Juwaini said that he was proud that Qatar is hosting FIFA’s seminars for Women’s World Cup 2019 and this affirms the confidence of the FIFA Referees Committee in the country’s organisational capacity, especially as it is the fourth time that Qatar is conducting such seminars
Al-Juwaini thanked FIFA for its continued support and confidence in Qatar, and we was honoured to have hosted other successful seminars in the past that have been highly acclaimed and praised by the football governing body. He stressed that Qatar’s organisation and hosting of these seminars reinforces its international standing on the sport sector, especially before hosting the World Cup in 2022 and also establishes strong ties with FIFA.
Women’s World Cup referees will undergoing training with VARs over the next two weeks, paving the way for the FIFA council to approve the use of video reviews at the tournament in France this year.
FIFA has faced criticism for not announcing yet that video assistant referees will be used at the June 7-July 7 Women’s World Cup just as they were for the men’s tournament for the first time in Russia last year.
The VARs in seminars and matches in Qatar will ensure the 27 referees and 47 assistant referees will gain the necessary experience that allows FIFA executives at a meeting in Miami in March to approve the use of the technology for the World Cup. FIFA had previously said a decision about VAR will come only “in due time.”
Chairman of FIFA’s Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina speaks during a seminar for the referees of the Women’s World Cup 2019 in Doha.
