VAR to Star in 2019 Asian Cup Quarter-finals, Says AFC

Kuala Lumpur, Nov 15 (AFP) The Asian Football Confederation on Thursday said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be implemented from the quarter-finals of next year's Asian Cup.

The AFC which is the regional governing body, said VAR will be used in seven matches and at four venues.

The system allows referees to review video footage of key decisions such as the awarding of goals, penalties and red cards during matches.

It was used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but with mixed results. VAR is already in use across the majority of Europe's major leagues including La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A.

"The decision to include VAR was only made on September 26 and that has meant a tremendous amount of work has been required to ensure that it can play a role at the tournament from the quarter-final stages," Windsor John, the AFC general-secretary said in a statement.

The bigger 2019 Asian Cup will feature a record 24 teams from all corners of Asia, up from 16 that participated in the previous four editions.

The 2019 tournament will be the second time the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has hosted the event, after successfully staging the finals in 1996.

The Asian Cup UAE 2019 runs from 5 January to 1 February 2019, with 51 matches being played in eight world class stadiums located across four host cities - Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. (AFP) APA

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