On August 20th, according to news from the Beijing Youth Daily, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) confirmed yesterday that Sony (China) Co., Ltd. has become the partner for the “2024 CFA Cup Video Assistant Referee System Cooperation Project.” It is likely that VAR will be introduced in subsequent knockout stages of the FA Cup and some matches of the final stage of China League One.
It is understood that from the midweek FA Cup quarter-finals through to subsequent knockout stages, the Video Assistant Referee system (VAR) will be used. Some important matches in China League One will also introduce VAR, with specific results pending official confirmation.
The Beijing Youth Daily further analyzed that in order to optimize the refereeing standards in domestic professional leagues and enhance communication with all parties including clubs, the Chinese Football Association specifically introduced a new “Professional League Controversial Call Review and Public Announcement of Review Results” system this season. However, due to factors such as the limited capabilities of some domestic referees and the effectiveness of VAR intervention, wrong or missed calls still occur occasionally in various levels of professional leagues. Some serious wrong or missed calls have directly affected match results, causing damage to the competitive interests of the relevant participating teams.
Therefore, as this season’s FA Cup and various levels of professional leagues enter their final stages, or critical competition phases, the Chinese Football Association is considering introducing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in the remaining knockout stages of the FA Cup and the final ten rounds of China League One, to assist referees in improving the accuracy of match decisions.
FA Cup Quarter-final Schedule
August 21st, 19:35 Shandong Taishan vs Henan Team
August 21st, 19:35 Nanjing City vs Chengdu Rongcheng
August 22nd, 19:35 Shanghai Port vs Tianjin Jinmen Tiger
August 22nd, 19:35 Shanghai Shenhua vs Beijing Guoan