Implementing VAR is a challenge

The development of J.League is a crucial factor for Japanese football to reach new heights, and the J.League is currently setting their goal to reach the heights of Europe’s top five leagues by 2030. With VAR (video assistant referee) already being implemented in many leagues in Europe, the J.League must follow the same footsteps in order to achieve their goal. Therefore, JFA will work together with J.League to proceed with the implementation of VAR to help raise the level of Japanese football.

VAR has been used in many international tournaments including the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup, World Cups of various underage categories, and the Olympics. In order to compete at the world stage, it is necessary for the players to be in touch with VAR at the domestic leagues on a day to day basis.

In fact, there was a scene during a round of 16 match of last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019, where a Japanese goal was erased by VAR in a match against Korea Republic. While the Japanese players seemed deeply affected by the decision, the Korean players stayed composed throughout the situation, as VAR had already been implemented at the K.League. It was clearly evident that previous experience with the system made a huge difference between the two sides. In order for the Japanese players to stay on top of the current trend of football, J.League’s implementation of VAR has become a necessity......

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