PFJL chairman interested in VAR for Premier League
Published:Thursday | December 23, 2021 | 12:06 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL Jamaica Limited chairman Christopher Williams has indicated an interest in using Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for the Jamaica Premier League but has not committed to a timetable for its incorporation.
His comments come as Concacaf intends to use the system for the remainder of the World Cup qualifiers starting next month.
Williams says while there have been no internal discussions regarding the matter, he would not be opposed to implementing the system for the local league should the Jamaica Football Federation make it a mandate.
“It’s possible because our games are well covered by cameras. So we do have the footage. We may not have all the cameras, but we have good coverage of the games, and we would be able to give the referees access to that coverage if there is a necessity,” Williams told The Gleaner.
“No timeline has been set by us, but it’s certainly something that enhances the fairness of the game, and I am in full support of anything that can be done to enhance the fairness of the game.”
While open to such discussions with the federation, Williams says the critical factor would be ensuring that they have the necessary technology required for the system to be effective, with Concacaf’s ability to implement the system for the final six games playing a major role in how they would make the system work on a local level.
“They have more camera coverage than we do, so we would have to look at what are the requirements in terms of camera coverage and see whether or not our broadcast partners would be in a position to comfortably achieve that,” Williams said.
CAMERA REQUIREMENTS
According to FIFA’s Implementation Assistance and Approval Program for VAR, a minimum of four cameras consisting of a central wide-angle, a central tight angle camera, and two 16mm cameras that can be used to assess offside situations, must be available.
Concacaf head of communications, Nicholas Noble, says that assistance can be given to leagues in the region such as Jamaica to implement the technology but will leave the final decision to the respective associations.
“That would be a question for the different leagues if it is something that they want to move towards and if they want to have the ambition for and want to develop towards in the future (and) if it is Concacaf can provide support,” Noble said.
In an interview with The Gleaner last month, JFF general secretary Dalton Wint emphasised the importance of incorporating the system but said that the technology is currently too expensive to afford.