VAR in football: How technology is changing the game in football

Mohamed Houssein Ali CAF/FIFA Fitness coach, Djibouti, during referee Open day at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi on August 26, 2025 ahead of CHAN 2024 final. [Jonah Onyango, Standard] Over the past decade, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has transformed football officiating, sparking both praise and controversy. From the FIFA World Cup to continental tournaments like the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the African Nations Championship (CHAN), VAR has become a defining feature of the modern game. According to Mohamed Zidan, Football Technology Officer says VAR is a technology-aided officiating system designed to support referees in making accurate decisions during critical moments of a match. A team of video officials monitors the game in real-time using multiple camera angles, focusing only on four key situations: goals, penalties, direct red cards, and mistaken identity "The principle of VAR is to correct clear and obvious errors. The referee is still the ultimate decision-maker, but VAR offers a second pair of eyes in match-changing incidents," Zidan explains. Unlike cricket or hockey, where players request reviews, VAR constantly tracks the game and alerts the referee only if a significant mistake is detected. The referee can then review the footage on a pitch side monitor or accept the VAR team's recommendation. The biggest stage for VAR came at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia the first global tournament to use the system. In the group stage, France won a penalty against Australia after VAR spotted Joshua Risdon's foul on Antoine Griezmann. In the final, VAR awarded France another penalty for handball against Croatia's Ivan Perisic, which Antoine Griezmann converted to put Les Bleus ahead. France went on to win 4-2FIFA President Gianni Infantine hailed VAR' introduction as "football's future." He remarked after the tournamen "Thanks to VAR, we had a World Cup with no scandal. It helped referees make better decisions and gave fans fairness on the pitch," Zidan said By the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the technology had advanced further with the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT). One key example was Ecuador's disallowed goal in the opening match against Qatar after SAOT detected a marginal offside in the build-up. Africa embraced VAR in its flagship tournament, though not without challenges. The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt introduced VAR from the quarterfinals onward. One notable moment came in the semi-final between Senegal and Tunisia when the referee consulted VAR to overturn a penalty initially awarded to Tunisia for handball. Senegal went on to win and reach the final. At AFCON 2021 in Cameroon, VAR was used in every match for the first time. This historic CAF (Confederation of African Football) became the first confederation outside Europe to apply VAR across all fixtures in a continental championship. VAR played a role in Egypt's semi-final against Cameroon, confirming the legality of spot kicks in the penalty shootout that took the Pharaohs to the final. CAF refereeing director Eddy Maillet defended its use, saying: "It is not perfect, but it is progress. The objective is fairness, and VAR is giving referees more accuracy in critical decisions." The African Nations Championship (CHAN), reserved for players active in domestic leagues, has also seen VAR's growing influence. At CHAN 2020 in Cameroon, VAR was applied from the quarterfinals. In the semi-final between Morocco and Cameroon, VAR confirmed Morocco's opening goal after checking a possible offside, calming tensions in a packed Yaounde stadium. By CHAN 2022 in Algeria, VAR was available from the group stages, marking another step forward. Several penalties and red cards were either overturned or confirmed after review, ensuring matches were decided more fairly. While VAR has improved decision-making, debates remain over its consistency and the length of reviews. Fans often complain about delays, while some coaches feel the technology removes spontaneity. Former Senegal coach Aliou Cisse summed up the mixed feelings: "VAR brings justice, but football is also about emotion. Sometimes we wait too long, and it kills the moment."

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