The Referees Manager of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Alex Kotey has revealed efforts of the football governing body to enhance the officiating standards in the Ghana Premier League with the introduction of FIFA’s cost-effective VAR Lite.
According to him, the association’s commitment to implementing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is to improve the accuracy and fairness of match decisions.
“We are working assiduously on that-providing VAR-we have not let it go,” Kotey said in an interview with CitiSports.
About four years ago, the Ghana FA announced plans to introduce VAR to aid the decision-making of referees in its competitions.
However, the association is yet to roll out the technology, and Kotey stated FIFA is working on introducing a more affordable version of the technology.
“FIFA is trying to introduce a less costly VAR, which is the VAR Lite. So when the VAR Lite comes, we will see how best we can bring it on because that one doesn’t need a lot of cameras.”
VAR Lite is designed to be a more accessible alternative to the full VAR system, requiring fewer cameras and thus reducing implementation costs.
However, Kotey acknowledged that this streamlined version comes with some limitations.
“The only challenge there is that you don’t get some features in the VAR Lite as compared to the full VAR,” Kotey explained.
“But of course, it is just a stepping stone.”
The introduction of VAR Lite is seen as a significant step forward for the GFA as it seeks to align the Ghana Premier League with international standards and enhance the credibility of its officiating.
By adopting this technology, the GFA hopes to reduce controversial decisions and improve the overall quality of the league.
Credit: Haruna Mubarak
