Turkish football ready for VAR: Turkish Football Federation head Demirören

ISTANBUL

Employing the video assistant referee (VAR) in Turkish football in the upcoming season aims to reduce incorrect referee decisions during games, Turkish Football Federation President Yıldırım Demirören said on Aug. 1.

“As we have seen in the World Cup [2018], VAR reduces referee faults to the minimum. We believe that the system will make a huge contribution to our football,” he told the audience at a meeting held to launch the Turkish VAR at the federation’s facilities in Istanbul’s Riva neighborhood on the Black Sea coast.

“Federation representatives attended several international VAR meetings. The Central Referee Committee has tested the system in 180 games during the course of a year. We have presented the VAR to the clubs and footballers. We have built the VAR center in Riva with a vital investment,” he added, recalling that the federation has put its candidacy forward to host the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.

Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoğlu pointed that the final decision will always be given by the head referee.

“Humans matter the most, technology follows. We have implicit trust in the referees. Turkish football, with all of its institutions and establishments, is ready to implement the VAR system. All the necessary technical and infrastructure works have been completed. Turkish football has been getting prepared for VAR since 2016,” he added.

Yusuf Namoğlu, head of the Central Referee Committee and a prominent former referee, told the audience that the system will be capable of evaluating the positions in nine games played simultaneously.

The footages will be watched by VAR referees at the center in Riva, he added.

Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç said the VAR system will bear fruit after 100 games.

“That is what they have told us. One hundred games mean 11 weeks. We all should be patient,” he added.