Video Assistant Referee is the future, whether old people (read: the English Premier League) want to admit it or not. Thankfully, Mexico is finally jumping on the train, as we’ll see VAR in Liga MX for the first time this weekend.
IFAB, the International Football Association Board, has approved Liga MX to use VAR in nine upcoming matches, starting Friday with Atlas hosting Veracuz.
OFFICIAL: First-ever club matches with Video Assistant Referees in Mexico this weekend!
Today The IFAB approved use of VAR in 9 @LIGABancomerMX games.Historic match in top division: @atlasfc VS @ClubTiburones
buena suerte! @FMF @fifacom_es
https://t.co/wzX1Xsg1Pk pic.twitter.com/h2UWYGRute
— The IFAB (@TheIFAB) October 18, 2018
The use of VAR in Liga MX brings Mexico’s top league in line with many other top leagues in the world, including Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal and the Netherlands, not to mention Major League Soccer, which was one of the first to adopt the use of video replay.
The World Cup used VAR over the summer and showed the world how easy it is to use technology to ensure referees have the best chance possible to make the right calls.
Although the first matchup to use VAR in Liga MX will be between the two teams sitting at the bottom of the table, the Mexican league will trial its use all weekend. Saturday’s lineup includes some tasty games such as Cruz Azul-Querétaro and Monterrey-Toluca, plus Pumas-Tigres on Sunday.
As in other leagues, VAR in Liga MX will be limited to cases of penalty kicks, red cards, goals and cases of mistaken identity. Determining things such as whose ball it is after going out of bounds, yellow cards and normal fouls are not reviewable. Here’s former World Cup referee Arturo Brizio to explain a bit more about the use of VAR in Liga MX.
¿Qué se revisará y cómo funciona el uso del Video Assistant Referee (VAR) en la #LIGABancomerMX?
En la #Jornada13 inician las pruebas pilotos previas a la certificación final por parte de FIFA y el IFAB. Arturo Brizio nos platica sobre el uso alrededor de esta nueva herramienta. pic.twitter.com/RP3AguthER— LIGA Bancomer MX (@LIGABancomerMX) October 18, 2018
One nice implementation from Liga MX in regards to VAR is the promise to card players and coaches who effusively demand the referee look at VAR, which, honestly, is one of the most annoying things about having replay.
Let’s hope the trial week goes well and Liga MX keeps VAR around for the long haul.
Now if we could just get VAR in the women’s game.
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