FA Cup and League Cup to have VAR

FA Cup and League Cup to have VAR

The Football Association of Thailand will use the video assistant referee system in the FA Cup and League Cup finals.
The Football Association of Thailand will use the video assistant referee system in the FA Cup and League Cup finals.

The video assistant referee (VAR) system will make a return to the local competition in the FA Cup and League Cup finals, the Football Association of Thailand said on Monday.

It will also be used in some of the last six Thai League 1 matches of the season, according to FAT deputy secretary-general Patit Supaphong.

The League Cup final will take place on Sept 28 and the FA Cup title match will be held on Nov 2.

VAR was introduced in Thailand earlier this season but it caused more problems than solving them.

Several clubs complained about the system and Fifa told the FAT to suspend it until parties concerned can use it properly.

"After discussing the matter with the chief referee, we have agreed that VAR will be used in the League Cup and FA Cup finals," Patit said.

But he admitted that there may not be enough qualified referees and officials to use the system for every Thai League 1 game in the home stretch of the season.

A number of referees will take part in a Fifa-organised test to see if they are capable of using the technology in October, Patit said.

Also, several clubs do not have facilities to accommodate the system, he said.

Meanwhile, Thailand coach Akira Nishino will announce his 30-member squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The players will begin training on Aug 27.

In their first two games of the 2022 World Cup qualifying round, Thailand host Vietnam on Sept 5 and travel to Indonesia on Sept 10. The other teams in the group are the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.

Winners of the eight qualifying groups and four best second-placed sides will make it to the third and final stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.

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