A total of 27 referees participated in the VAR Referee Training Course, Class 4
From March 27 to March 31 in Hanoi, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the Vietnam Professional Football Company (VPF), and the VFF Referees Committee are conducting the VAR Referee Training Course, Class 4, for 27 referees (including 22 professional referees and assistant referees, as well as 5 non-professional referees).
28/03/2025 15:46:04
The opening of the VAR Referee Training Course, Class 4, this morning (March 27) was attended by Mr. Võ Văn Hùng – Deputy General Director of VPF; Mr. Farkhad Abdullaev – FIFA instructor, along with instructors from the VFF Referees Committee and the course participants.
In the VAR Referee Training Courses, as well as throughout the operation of VAR in Vietnam, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Vietnam Professional Football Company (VPF) have been receiving active support from FIFA to quickly implement and maximize the effectiveness of VAR technology in the national professional football league system. Mr. Farkhad, an experienced FIFA instructor, along with Mr. Đặng Thanh Hạ – Chairman of the VFF Arbitration Committee, will be the main instructors for the 27 referees in Class 4, guiding them in learning and operating VAR in the LAB (Laboratory) environment. This is a crucial training step to familiarize referees with VAR technology through simulated systems, starting with simple situations and short durations, gradually increasing the difficulty level, and eventually monitoring an entire match (90 minutes).
Speaking at the opening session this morning, Mr. Farkhad shared that FIFA always aims to increase the number of quality referees, which is why organizing referee training courses is essential. Based on his experience working in Vietnam, Mr. Farkhad believes that Vietnamese referees have the ability and the opportunity to develop in the region. To become a skilled and capable referee, he emphasized that referees must continuously strive to study diligently, continually improve their knowledge, and gain experience in order to achieve success and reach their personal goals.
In addition to training more VAR referees, Class 4 will also train 5 VAR system operators (ROs). Furthermore, 10 referee assessors are attending as auditors to better understand how VAR operates during a match.
After three referee training courses conducted from 2023 to the present, Vietnam now has 36 referees and assistant referees certified by FIFA to perform VAR and AVAR duties. Currently, VAR technology is being applied in most matches of V.League 1, as well as in some high-stakes games that affect rankings in V.League 2, the National Cup, and even a few non-professional matches. This has significantly improved the technical quality of the matches, providing strong support to referees in carrying out their duties, minimizing controversies, and making the games more transparent and fair.
VPF is currently operating 4 VAR vehicles across three regions (North, Central, South). Among these, 2 vehicles are funded through social mobilization, and 2 are sponsored by FIFA to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). In the future, VPF plans to seek additional sponsorships to acquire more VAR vehicles, with the goal of increasing the number of matches that use VAR technology. Training personnel with the required professional qualifications and technical skills to operate the system is considered a top priority for both the VFF and VPF in order to achieve their objectives. In addition to training VAR and AVAR referees, the VFF Referees Committee will also take the initiative to train VAR referee instructors to meet FIFA’s requirements.
