AFF unexpectedly decided to apply VAR in the final match of U23 Southeast Asia 2025

(Dan Tri) - The Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) has made a widely supported decision to apply VAR technology in the final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, which will take place at 8:00 p.m. on July 29.

With a brilliant comeback victory against the Philippines, Vietnam U23 team secured their place in the final.

The decision to implement VAR was made by the AFF to assist referees in sensitive situations, such as verifying the validity of goals or controversial fouls.

This move is considered necessary, given the numerous mistakes that have occurred in the tournament previously. A prime example is the semi-final match between Vietnam U23 and the Philippines U23 on the evening of July 25th, when Malaysian referee Muhammad Usaid Jamal made a serious error.

In the 90+5th minute, Philippine defender Noah Leddel fouled striker Quoc Viet in a dangerous situation, but the referee sent off Jaime Rosquillo, who was not involved in the play. Because the tournament did not use VAR in the semi-finals, this erroneous decision could not be corrected, sparking controversy about fairness.

The incident involved Quoc Viet being fouled illegally by Noah Leddel, but the referee instead showed a red card to Jaime Rosquillo (Screenshot).

Therefore, the AFF's decision to implement VAR in the final match received support from the U23 Indonesia and U23 Vietnam teams, as well as a large number of fans.

"The application of VAR in the final is good for both teams. Players will no longer risk elbowing or rough play. The referee will also avoid making mistakes in situations that are difficult to see with the naked eye," commented user Roy Key.

"I hope both teams play fairly in the final. Using VAR is a reasonable decision," user Ricard Delon emphasized.

The final match between host nation Indonesia U23 and Vietnam U23 will take place at Bung Karno Stadium at 8 PM on July 29th.

Vietnam U23 is the most successful team at the Southeast Asian U23 Championship with two titles. Meanwhile, Indonesia has only won one title in 2019.

Watch the Mandiri Cup™ 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship live and in its entirety onFPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/aff-bat-ngo-quyet-dinh-ap-dung-var-o-tran-chung-ket-u23-dong-nam-a-2025-20250727143302398.htm