Overview
- SAFF announced on Friday that the tournament will use remote Video Assistant Referee technology for the semifinals on Saturday, November 14, and the final on November 17 at the National Stadium in Dhaka.
- Under the plan live footage from Dhaka will be transmitted to a centralized VAR hub in Thailand where certified Video Match Officials will review incidents and advise on-field referees under the IFAB VAR protocol.
- Organisers have installed a Referee Review Area and a Technical Operations Team Area Monitor at the stadium and said technical staff from Quality will be on site to manage the link between match officials and the remote hub.
- SAFF estimates the remote setup will cost about USD 800–900 per match and said the model was chosen to avoid the higher expense of shipping full on-site VAR equipment.
- India beat Bhutan 2-1 in the first semi on November 14 with VAR used to confirm a goal, and SAFF pointed to prior VAR use in India during the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup as operational precedents.