Singapore Premier League set to implement Video Assistant Referee from 2023, fans want FAS to improve other areas

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) recently announced that it is on track to implement the video assistant referee (VAR) for the 2023 season of the Singapore Premier League (SPL), making Singapore the third country in the Southeast Asian region to do so and the 11th in Asia to use the VAR system in its local professional league.

“The entire VAR implementation process can take between 12 to 18 months according to the Implementation Assistance and Approval Programme developed by FIFA. We are currently at the third of five stages of the IAAP, which focuses on the preparation and training of match officials and VAR technology,” said Project Lead and FAS Director (Referees), Nazeer Hussain on the FAS website.

Following the training of its officials, the FAS will then schedule a visit by FIFA to Singapore to assess their progress and to get approval for the VAR system for the league.

“There’s still work to be done, but if all goes well, we are confident of implementing VAR in the SPL next year,” added Nazeer.

“The FAS is constantly striving to improve the quality of football here and one key element of this is the performance of our match officials. We want them to be kept abreast with the latest developments in officiating, both in terms of their knowledge of the game and by equipping them with technological aids.

While it is certainly a step in the right direction to improve the standard of Singapore’s football, some football fans are not too jovial about the announcement to implement VAR in the SPL.

“What a joke! Focus from ground up to make tangible improvement. What does VAR bring to improve?,” commented Lee JS on FAS Facebook page.

“Not necessary leh. Our standard (is) not there to put these advanced systems to use,” shared Lee Zhixiang.

Others were commenting on the video quality of the football matches in the league.

Meanwhile, other netizens believe that the FAS should strengthen other areas if they want to improve the local professional football league.