VAR debuts in African soccer Championship

RABAT: Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will debut in Africa midway through the Nations Championship which kicks off Saturday with hosts Morocco among the title favourites.

The system allows off-field match officials to assist referees in “game-changing” situations such as goals, penalty kicks, straight red cards and cases of mistaken identity.It has been trialled in the Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga this season and debuted in England this week.

VAR is scheduled to be used in Morocco from the quarter-finals of a unique national team competition as participation is restricted to footballers playing in their country of birth. The overwhelming majority of African stars play professionally in Europe, leaving the Nations Championship as a platform for emerging talent to impress scouts. First staged in the Ivory Coast nine years ago, the CHAN quickly doubled in size from eight nations to 16, and the last edition in Rwanda was superbly organised and well attended. Fellow east African country Kenya were due to succeed Rwanda as hosts, but surrendered the right to Morocco after falling behind with stadia preparations.